Lee Attends Busan Town Hall Meeting
"Maritime Court and Southeast Region Investment Bank to Be Established Swiftly"
President Lee Jae Myung listens to a participant's remark at the town hall meeting "Listening to the Heart of Busan" held on the 25th at Pukyong National University in Busan. Photo by Yonhap News
On July 25, President Lee Jaemyung stated, "We are swiftly executing the relocation of relevant national agencies, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, to Busan as much as possible," and added, "We will also relocate public enterprises, affiliated organizations, and invested or funded companies as quickly as possible."
President Lee made these remarks during a town hall meeting held at Pukyong National University in Nam-gu, Busan, under the theme 'Listening to the Heart of Busan.' Regarding the establishment of a maritime court and a Southeast Region investment bank, he further explained, "We intend to proceed as quickly as possible by minimizing the time required."
The meeting was attended by 100 representatives from the maritime and fisheries industry residing in Busan, as well as 200 citizens who registered online in advance. This town hall meeting was originally scheduled for July 18, but was postponed to this date in order to respond to flood damage after heavy rainfall caused significant damage.
Lee: "The Seoul metropolitan area is overflowing, while the provinces are dying from lack of resources"
President Lee Jae Myung is speaking at the town hall meeting "Listening to the Heart of Busan" at Pukyong National University in Busan on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News
President Lee pointed out that the growth strategy focused on the Seoul metropolitan area has reached its limits. He said, "As everything is concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, it has become overcrowded to the point of bursting, while the provinces are dying from lack of resources," and analyzed, "Now, balanced development is no longer a matter of government consideration, but has become an unavoidable national survival strategy for the Republic of Korea to achieve continuous growth and development."
President Lee also stated, "Previous governments have made significant efforts toward balanced development, but the reality is that they have not achieved the groundbreaking results that would satisfy the public," and explained, "This administration has elevated the 'balanced development' strategy to a 'survival strategy,' and we have determined that providing incentives and greater preferential treatment to the provinces is necessary to restore balance."
As a regional growth and development strategy, President Lee proposed the concept of a 'port logistics city.' He said, "With the increased feasibility of using the Arctic route due to climate change, Busan is very likely to benefit from the opening of the Arctic route," and mentioned, "We intend to accelerate discussions on development plans to make Busan a hub for port logistics and a central city in Northeast Asia."
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