President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with mayors of metropolitan cities and governors of provinces nationwide at the presidential office in Seoul on Aug. 1, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae Myung on Friday vowed efforts to promote balanced regional development, saying the government will provide more budgetary support for regions outside of the capital area.
Lee made the remarks during a meeting with mayors and provincial governors at the presidential office, the first such gathering since he took office in June.
“As we handed out consumption coupons (under the government’s recent cash handout program), we allocated more incentives to the provinces than to the Seoul metropolitan area,” Lee said.
“Going forward, we will strengthen this principle when making decisions on national policies, and allocating and distributing budgets.”
Last month, the government began issuing cash handouts, called “consumption coupons,” worth 150,000 won (US$108), with additional assistance for individuals in low-income and single-parent families.
To promote balanced regional development, residents outside the greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, received an extra 30,000 won. Those living in 84 designated rural and fishing communities facing population decline nationwide were granted an additional 50,000 won.
During the meeting, Lee noted that South Korea had long pursued “unbalanced growth” as a national development strategy, concentrating its resources in “certain regions and sectors.”
“Although this strategy may have been efficient, it has now become an impediment to growth and development,” he said. “The new administration believes that balanced development is a strategy for the survival of the country, not a favor or benefit for non-capital regions.”
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and other government officials, as well as 17 mayors and provincial governors, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon.
(Yonhap)
