Ahn Dogul: "Local Regions Must Become as Livable as the Seoul Metropolitan Area"

Lee Administration Accelerates Regional Revitalization Pledges
"We Must Create an Environment Where Youth Can Stay"

"One of the signature policies of the current administration is the pursuit of genuine regional balanced development. This is being concretized through strategies such as 'Five Major Economic Zones and Three Special Autonomous Provinces' (5-geuk 3-teuk),"

Ahn Dogul, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who joined the Planning Subcommittee of the National Policy Planning Committee, reiterated the Lee Jaemyung administration's commitment to regional balanced development in an interview with Asia Economy on June 16. President Lee Jaemyung previously announced policy pledges such as 'Mega City 2.0 for Super-Regional Development' and 'Second Phase Relocation of Public Institutions' to promote balanced development across regions. This is in line with the so-called 'National Land Grand Remodeling Act,' which Representative Ahn introduced as his first bill last year to revitalize local areas. The idea is to transition from a single-centered metropolitan system to a multi-centered system by placing future innovation industries and talent in regional areas.

Representative Ahn stated, "The goal is to enable local regions to be as economically viable as the metropolitan area," and added, "We need to ensure that regional balanced development policies permeate every corner in some form." The concept of '5-geuk 3-teuk' is central to this vision. The plan is to designate the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Chungcheong, Southeast, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, and Honam as five major metropolitan economic zones, and to develop Gangwon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju as specialized special local governments. The aim is to create industries and ecosystems in each region that can support livelihoods, thereby establishing economic zones comparable to the metropolitan area.

Ahn Dogul, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

Youth are at the heart of this strategy. For regional areas to thrive, it is essential to create an environment where young people can stay, work, and settle down. Representative Ahn explained, "The goal is to encourage more young people to move to regional areas rather than going abroad," and added, "Although it will not be easy, we must consider every possible policy measure."

To this end, the government is reportedly considering tax benefits for youth employment and startups, housing incentives, and educational programs linked with local businesses. This is based on the assessment that issues such as a lack of local jobs and weaker cultural infrastructure must be addressed together.

Through the National Policy Planning Committee, the government has begun compiling opinions from each subcommittee to formulate policies. Representative Ahn said, "Since discussions in each subcommittee have just begun, the planning and coordination team will synthesize them, and we will also develop investment plans together."

Meanwhile, on June 18, marking the third day since its launch, the National Policy Planning Committee began receiving departmental briefings at the Government Complex Sejong, which will continue until June 20. The committee plans to review major issues for each ministry, plans for fulfilling policy pledges, and tasks that will be directly felt by the public. In addition, it will operate the previously announced Special Committee on Balanced Development, the Government Organization Restructuring Task Force (TF), and the Tax Reform TF.