President Lee: "No wavering on metropolitan integration... We will not be swayed by political gains or losses"

[The Financial News] In his opening remarks at the New Year press conference on the 21st, President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea declared that a major shift toward "region-led growth" has already begun. He outlined plans to promote metropolitan integration and to reshape the national spatial strategy.
On the same day, the president stated, "The metropolitan integration currently being pursued between Daejeon Metropolitan City and South Chungcheong Province, and between Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Jeolla Province, is a symbolic starting point for region-led growth and a national survival strategy that must succeed." He stressed in particular, "The direction of metropolitan integration will not waver according to political gains or losses."
He went on, "If there are differing opinions, we will seek reasonable alternatives through intense debate, and we will take full responsibility for providing the necessary administrative, financial, and institutional support." His vision is to reorganize the country’s growth axes on the basis of metropolitan integration. Lee Jae-myung said, "Building on metropolitan integration, the national territory of South Korea, which has been dominated by a single Greater Seoul area, will be newly reorganized into a 'five hubs and three special zones' structure that drives region-led growth."
Regarding the principles for regional support, the president added, "The overarching principle that 'the farther a region is from the Greater Seoul area, the stronger the support it receives' will be implemented through all government policies."
Lee also set a goal of overcoming K-shaped growth through what he called "growth for all." He said, "We will overcome K-shaped growth, in which one side grows rapidly while the other side remains stagnant," and added, "The key players in tackling this grave challenge will be startups and venture companies that continuously innovate and create new engines of growth."
The president stated, "We will gradually unveil concrete policies to create an era of booming startups and venture businesses, so that young entrepreneurs and founders can take on challenges freely and fully pursue innovation." He also pledged support for local and tech-based startups, emphasizing, "We will concentrate the government’s capabilities on this."

west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter