Han Byung-do calls on PPP to cooperate on super-regional special zone committee

Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Byung-do on Tuesday called on the People Power Party to cooperate in forming a special committee on super-regional strategic industry zones, which would support the government's three major mega-projects as a national policy priority.

Speaking at a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly, Han said the super-regional special zone legislation was "a bill to expand growth opportunities — currently concentrated in the greater Seoul area — across the entire country, and to develop regional strategic industries into growth engines for South Korea."

Han added that "cross-ministry support is needed, from fiscal policy, finance and taxation to talent development and infrastructure," and that "a special committee is necessary to comprehensively review the tasks of the relevant standing committees so that multiple ministries can work together and their respective support measures operate in an integrated way on the ground."

Addressing the People Power Party directly, Han said the legislation was "a bill to develop the leading industries of each region — shipbuilding and aerospace in the southeast, and advanced mobility and robotics in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang area," and that "the success of the three mega-projects is not a success for the Democratic Party alone, nor for the Lee Jae Myung administration alone."

Han went on to say he hoped "the ruling and opposition parties will align on forming the special committee and narrow their differences on key issues," adding that "the Democratic Party will do its utmost to ensure thorough and substantive deliberations once the special committee is promptly established."

Floor spokesperson Lee Ju-hee told reporters that the National Assembly's steering committee was scheduled to convene at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to table and adopt a resolution on forming the special committee for the super-regional special zone legislation.