President Lee: Balanced development key to solving Seoul's overconcentration issues

President Lee Jae-myung has declared balanced development a critical gateway for South Korea's sustainable growth and improved quality of life, asserting it is the path to resolving issues caused by the overconcentration of population and real estate in the Seoul metropolitan area.

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Balanced development is a critical gateway for South Korea's sustainable growth and a qualitative change in the lives of our people.

"The most critical problem facing South Korea is the single-hub system of the Seoul metropolitan area," President Lee stated at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. "If we fail to overcome this, the Seoul area will become overcrowded, and the provinces will face extinction."

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The most critical problem facing South Korea is the single-hub system of the Seoul metropolitan area. If we fail to overcome this, the Seoul area will become overcrowded, and the provinces will face extinction.

Lee stressed the importance of cooperation and solidarity between central and local governments to achieve balanced development. "The success of balanced development is difficult with the central government alone," he said. "We must become a strong one team, central and local governments, to forge a better future for Korea. Local governments should look beyond regional interests and find solutions from a national perspective, while the central government must provide active support to back a national transformation led by the regions."

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The success of balanced development is difficult with the central government alone. We must become a strong one team, central and local governments, to forge a better future for Korea.

The president also announced plans to accelerate the development of a mid- to long-term national strategy to structurally reorganize the Seoul-centric system and create new growth engines for each region. "A more bold and macro approach is needed to achieve this," he added.

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Local governments should look beyond regional interests and find solutions from a national perspective, while the central government must provide active support to back a national transformation led by the regions.