Chairperson Kim Kyeong-soo of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development said on the 31st, "We will make 2026 the first year of balanced growth in Korea in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)."
Kim, the Chairperson, said in a New Year's address that "Korea must take the lead, in a way true to itself, in addressing the age of AI and the climate crisis facing the world," adding the above.
Kim said, "I am confident that 2026 will be the year when Korea fully demonstrates the potential of balanced growth, and the first year when balanced growth in the AI era actually begins to operate," adding, "AI is already changing our daily lives and the overall industrial structure."
Kim, the Chairperson, went on to say, "The very structure of industry, jobs, and national competitiveness is being rapidly reorganized," adding, "In the face of this change, balanced development policy cannot remain in past approaches."
Kim, the Chairperson, also said, "The regions are no longer subjects of benevolence," adding, "They are Korea's competitiveness and strategic assets. Balanced growth in the AI era must be a national strategy that creates new growth engines in the regions."
To that end, the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development completed the blueprint for the "5 poles, 3 specialties balanced growth strategy," a region-based megacity policy, and began full-scale implementation. The 5 poles, 3 specialties balanced growth strategy is a new national land spatial strategy.
Kim, the Chairperson, said, "We will bring about changes people can feel in 2026," adding, "We will achieve balanced growth through action, not words."