Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on the 19th, "We will select strategic industries on a mega-regional basis and support them as a package, and realize a virtuous-cycle economy through talent development and support for the startup and venture ecosystem."
At the opening ceremony of the "2025 Korea Local Era Expo" held at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center (UECO) in Ulsan on the day, Prime Minister Kim stated accordingly, "We will pursue a balanced growth strategy centered on five poles and three specials by reorganizing the nation into five mega-regions and three special self-governing provinces."
Prime Minister Kim said, "Local self-governance by popular vote began 30 years ago. Residents directly chose their local workers, and an era of autonomy began in which local affairs were decided independently," adding, "But the reality today, 30 years later, is not easy."
Kim said, "Population and resources are excessively concentrated in the capital area, and the provinces are facing the risk of extinction due to aging and population decline," emphasizing, "We cannot go on like this. The nation survives only if the regions live."
He continued, "President Lee Jae-myung emphasized, 'Balanced development is not a temporary consideration or favor for the regions. It is a core strategy for the survival of the state,'" adding, "We will build a transportation network that connects hub cities so that the mega-regional unit links into a single living sphere, and we will integrate housing, medical, and welfare services."
He added, "At the same time, we will greatly expand the substantive autonomy of local governments, including local finance, resident autonomy, and autonomous legislation," and, "To (make) a nation where people's lives are equally guaranteed everywhere and all regions grow in harmony, we will look anew, look evenly, and look in a balanced way."