National Policy Planning Committee Meets Kyungsoo Kim: "Balanced National Growth Is an Urgent Task of Our Time" (Comprehensive)

Han Joon Lee, Chairman of the National Policy Planning Committee, stated on the 14th, "Balanced national growth is a pressing task of our time that can no longer be postponed in order to restart the growth engine of South Korea, which is losing momentum."

Han Joon Lee, Chairman of the National Policy Planning Committee (right), and Kyungsoo Kim, Chairman of the Local Era Committee, are talking at a meeting between the National Policy Planning Committee and the Local Era Committee held on the 14th at the Changseong-dong Annex of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News joint reporters

Chairman Lee made these remarks during a meeting with Kyungsoo Kim, Chairman of the Presidential Local Era Committee, at the National Policy Planning Committee office in the Changseong-dong Annex of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He emphasized, "Balanced national growth is a mission that this administration must pursue with utmost determination for the future of South Korea."

He said, "It is not balanced development for the government to simply redistribute resources and opportunities concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area to the provinces. Instead, it will be a diverse and complex challenge that encompasses industry, space, and quality of life." He added, "Only by combining the capabilities of both the central and local governments can we finally begin to lay the foundation. In this regard, I believe the role of the Local Era Committee will be extremely crucial."

The meeting was attended by about 20 people, including Chairman Lee, Suhyeon Park, Chairman of the National Balanced Growth Special Committee, Haesik Lee, Head of the Political and Administrative Division of the National Policy Planning Committee, and Kyungsoo Kim, Chairman of the Local Era Committee.

The main agenda items discussed included: ▲ the vision and strategy for balanced growth based on the 'Five Poles and Three Special Zones (5geuk 3teuk)' model; ▲ the role of the Local Era Committee as an inter-ministerial control tower; and ▲ the establishment of systematic plans for implementing regional policy pledges.

Chairman Suhyeon Park said, "The provinces must be equipped with global competitiveness, robust jobs, and attractive living conditions comparable to those of the Seoul metropolitan area." He added, "Since the Local Era Committee, as the inter-ministerial control tower, will be responsible for implementing the balanced growth strategy being developed by the National Balanced Growth Special Committee, we will work closely with the Local Era Committee from the stage of formulating national policy tasks."

Division Head Haesik Lee emphasized, "Although this year marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of locally elected governments, local governments still lack real authority. In order to enhance balanced national growth and improve residents' quality of life, we must boldly transfer fiscal authority to local governments."

In response, Chairman Kyungsoo Kim of the Local Era Committee said, "The promotion of the '5geuk 3teuk balanced growth strategy,' the advancement of the Seoul metropolitan area as a global economic capital and the relocation of the administrative capital to Sejong, and the expansion of local autonomy and decentralization are all key national policy tasks directly overseen by the President." He added, "The new administration's balanced growth strategy is a completely new national growth and investment strategy, fundamentally different from previous 'balanced development to revitalize the provinces' policies."

He further stressed, "In order to promptly establish a roadmap and blueprint for the 5geuk 3teuk strategy, it is essential to revise relevant laws such as the 'Special Act on Decentralization and Balanced Development' and to strengthen the functions of the committee to promote ultra-regional balanced growth."

Meanwhile, the National Policy Planning Committee plans to continue discussions on the vision and strategy for balanced growth through a policy meeting with the National Conference on Decentralization and Balanced Development (Standing Representative Taenyeon Kim) at the National Assembly on the 15th.