Kim Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Local Era Committee: "Speed is the most important for national balanced growth"

[Financial News] The National Planning Committee and the Local Era Committee agreed on the need to implement the national balanced development policy of the Lee Jae-myung government, including the 5+3 strategy, with a sense of speed.
Kim Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Local Era Committee, visited the National Planning Committee on the 14th as his first external schedule and emphasized, "The most important thing now is how quickly we can establish and promote the new government's national balanced growth strategy, including the 5+3 strategy."
Chairman Kim said at the meeting with the National Planning Committee, "The balanced growth strategy, including the 5+3 strategy, and balanced development and local autonomy are important tasks that go beyond a single national task and are crucial for the future of Korea," adding, "We need to look back on whether the national balanced development, which has been pursued for over 20 years, is on the right track. If we cannot correct this, it will be difficult to promise the future of Korea."
The 5+3 strategy refers to the Lee Jae-myung government's strategy to create new economic and living zones centered on five major metropolitan areas and three special autonomous provinces.
In particular, Chairman Kim explained, "This meeting is intended to ensure that the Local Era Committee can immediately proceed with the balanced growth strategy, including the 5+3 strategy, being established by the National Planning Committee," adding, "I hope the promotion system will be sufficiently discussed here."
Lee Han-joo, Chairman of the National Planning Committee, stated, "National balanced development will be a complex task that involves sharing not only resources and opportunities concentrated in the metropolitan area but also industry, space, and quality of life," adding, "We must gather the capabilities of the government and local areas to barely establish a foundation, and the role of the Local Era Committee is very crucial for this."
Park Soo-hyun, Chairman of the National Planning Committee's Special Committee on National Balanced Growth, also warned, "The overcrowding of the metropolitan area is causing housing, transportation, and environmental problems, while local areas are seeing their manufacturing bases collapse, young people leaving to find jobs, and schools, hospitals, and markets disappearing," adding, "The extinction of local areas is no longer a problem of specific regions but a national crisis threatening the sustainability of Korea."
Furthermore, Chairman Park emphasized, "The Special Committee is intensely considering the balanced growth strategy by bringing together local government experts," adding, "As the Local Era Committee, which is the control tower of all ministries, becomes the locomotive leading this strategy, it is important to incorporate the thoughts of the Local Era Committee into the strategy to enhance its execution."
The Special Committee on National Balanced Growth set the "4+1" balanced growth strategy last week, which includes △regional growth engines △quality of life △national land space △agriculture, fisheries, and rural areas, and △systems and governance, and began drafting detailed tasks. 
Additionally, the suggestions collected through the meetings with the 17 cities and provinces and the four major local councils of the 5+3 strategy were shared with each division and requested to be reflected in the national task implementation plan. 
This week, tasks that were not included in the national tasks, such as inter-ministerial cooperation work and structural innovation tasks, will be discovered and the promotion strategy and priorities will be organized.
The Special Committee plans to reflect field opinions in the balanced growth report by meeting with the National Assembly and civic groups following the Local Era Committee meeting held on this day.
Lee Hae-sik, head of the political and administrative division of the National Planning Committee, emphasized, "It is important to boldly transfer finances and authority to the local areas and establish a system where the central government supports this to enhance national balanced growth and improve the quality of life of residents," adding, "Autonomy is competitiveness, and decentralization is the beginning of balance."


stand@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter