Minister Park Hong-geun of the Ministry of Planning and Budget will meet with the governors and mayors of 15 metropolitan governments to discuss fiscal operations for region-led growth.
The Ministry of Planning and Budget said Minister Park will hold roundtables with 15 metropolitan governments and provincial governors and mayors on the 22nd and 24th. The Ministry of Planning and Budget plans to review the various opinions presented at these governor and mayor roundtables and reflect them in major policies, including next year's budget proposal.
The roundtables were conducted as one-on-one meetings between Minister Park and each provincial governor and mayor so that different budget issues by region could be discussed. Each province and city introduced local priority projects aligned with the government's key investment directions and, at the same time, requested fiscal and institutional support to carry the projects forward.
Minister Park said, "As concentration in the capital area deepens, national competitiveness weakens, so fostering regions as new growth hubs is a core strategy for sustainable growth," adding, "Support for the three mega projects and the five-pole, three-special initiative cannot be completed by ministry plans alone, so each local government, which knows its regional strengths best, must take the lead in planning."