President Lee Jae Myung: "We Must Invest More in the Provinces... Pilot Support for Consumption Coupons Further from the Seoul Metropolitan Area"

"The biggest problem is the concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area"
President Lee emphasizes the need for greater investment in the provinces for balanced regional development

President Lee Jae Myung is speaking at the 'Gwangju Citizens and Jeonnam Residents Town Hall Meeting' held on the 25th at the National Asia Culture Center in Gwangju Metropolitan City. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 25th, President Lee Jae Myung stated, "From now on, in order to achieve balanced regional development, we should not invest equally everywhere, but rather invest more in the provinces."

At the 'Listening to the Heart of Honam' event held at the National Asia Culture Center in Gwangju on this day, President Lee said, "The biggest problem is the concentration of everything in the Seoul metropolitan area," and added, "We plan to pilot support measures such as consumption coupons and local currency so that the farther a region is from the Seoul metropolitan area, the greater the support it receives."

President Lee argued that in order for a region to develop, it is necessary to research development strategies suited to its unique characteristics. In this context, he cited renewable energy projects as an example and pointed out that such initiatives are not being properly implemented. He noted that while renewable energy projects are being carried out in the Honam region to match local characteristics, regulatory and power grid issues are making progress difficult.

President Lee criticized, "No additional permits for renewable energy generation are being issued," and continued, "It makes no sense that, even though there is an energy shortage nationwide, additional generation is not allowed here because there is a surplus of electricity." He further stated, "If possible, we should attract large-scale industrial complexes to the southwest coast or find other ways to maximize renewable energy production and foster industries that can utilize this energy."

Additionally, President Lee said, "We talk about creating the equivalent of 10 Seoul National Universities, but we also need to concretely establish regional universities," and added, "We must create an environment here where people can enjoy both employment and education, and lead prosperous lives."