President Lee Meets Local Government Heads: "No Future for South Korea if Metropolitan Crisis and Regional Extinction Remain Unresolved" (Comprehensive)

Luncheon at the Blue House Invites 227 Mayors, County Governors, and District Heads from the 9th Term
Lee: "Expanding Substantive Authority and Financial Resources for Local Governments... Stronger Support for Regions Farther from Seoul"
Lee: "Central and Local Governments Must Become One Team"... Accelerating 'Five Poles and Three Special Zones' Strategy and Three Major Megaprojects
Suggestions Include Ensuring Continuity of Support for Regions at Risk of Depopulation
Lee: "I Hope You Will Call Yourselves 'Local Governments,' Not 'Local Autonomous Entities'"

On August 27, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "The crisis caused by overconcentration in the Seoul metropolitan area and the issue of regional extinction due to depopulation are both simultaneously posing serious threats to South Korea." He emphasized, "If we cannot resolve these problems, there is no future for South Korea." He further stressed that he would continue policies for balanced regional development by expanding practical authority and finances so that local governments can develop their own growth strategies, and by providing stronger support to regions the farther they are from Seoul.

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a greeting at the luncheon meeting with mayors, county governors, and district chiefs invited for the 9th local election term held at the Blue House on August 27, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

On this day, President Lee held a luncheon meeting at the State Guest House of the Blue House, inviting 227 mayors, county governors, and district heads from across the nation for the 9th term of direct election. He said, "We must create an 'era of growth for all,' where the chronic overconcentration in the metropolitan area is alleviated and the potential of the entire nation is awakened so that every region can grow together. Only then can we have a future and hope." This was the first time President Lee met with all heads of basic local governments since the launch of the 9th-term local administrations last month.

President Lee identified the dissolution of the single-pole metropolitan structure as a matter of national survival. He stated, "While the capabilities and roles of local governments have grown significantly in the 31 years since the start of popularly elected local autonomy, there are still many tasks to be addressed," citing metropolitan overconcentration, regional extinction, and the crises of low birth rates and population aging as major challenges.

He also mentioned the government's ongoing "Five Poles and Three Special Zones" strategy for national spatial restructuring and the three major megaprojects, explaining, "It is precisely for these reasons that we are working to completely overhaul the national industrial map and actively improve conditions for residence, education, welfare, and culture in local areas."

As a method for balanced development, President Lee reiterated the concept of "local-led growth." He said, "We will continue efforts to expand the practical authority and finances of local governments so that each region can plan, grow, and develop based on its own characteristics and strengths."

He particularly noted, "We have established a special local autonomy system to ensure stronger support for regions the farther they are from Seoul," pledging to continuously develop support measures tailored to local conditions. He also asked local governments to "proactively propose as many reasonable ideas as possible whenever the opportunity arises." Educational investment for talent and technology cultivation, as well as targeted investments in wide-area transportation, cultural infrastructure, and tourism policies, were also presented as the basis for local-led growth.

President of the Association of Mayors, County Chiefs, and District Heads, Jaegu Cho, Mayor of Namgu District in Daegu, is speaking at the luncheon meeting hosted by President Jae-myung Lee for the invited mayors, county chiefs, and district heads of the 9th local election term at the Blue House on August 27, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also called for cooperation between central and local governments. He remarked, "Local governments are the front line, closest to the people, with the power to protect and change their lives," adding, "Whether it is the start of administration, the completion of welfare, or the seed of innovation, everything begins locally." He emphasized, "To overcome the dominance of the Seoul metropolitan area and ensure the coexistence and joint development of both the metropolitan area and other regions, cooperation between central and local governments is essential." He continued, "The central and local governments must become one team, moving forward with unity and a shared purpose."

Jae-gu Cho, Chairman of the Council of Mayors, Governors, and District Chiefs and Mayor of Nam-gu, Daegu, expressed gratitude for the expanded participation of basic local government heads in the Central-Local Cooperation Meeting and for the measure allowing the Council Chairman to attend the State Council. Chairman Cho remarked, "Local governments have served as reliable pillars whenever there were disasters and national crises like wildfires, typhoons, and epidemics. I look forward to this becoming a new starting point where central and local governments, based on mutual understanding and trust, become partners in national administration."

During the subsequent luncheon, various suggestions were made on pressing issues closely linked to residents' lives, such as ensuring continuity of support for regions at risk of depopulation, improving living conditions in ways residents can feel, supporting the implementation of integrated care, and alleviating the policy burden on local governments regarding youth policies.

Kim Moongeun, Governor of Danyang in North Chungcheong Province, emphasized the need to guarantee continuity of administrative and financial support so that regions that have managed to increase their populations through the efforts of basic local governments do not suffer disadvantages. Hwang Inho, Mayor of Dong-gu, Daejeon, requested active support for local governments struggling to secure dedicated personnel and salaries due to the implementation of the Integrated Care Support Act. Lee Haksoo, Mayor of Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province, proposed that if the government provides youth policy budgets across ministries to basic local governments in the form of block grants, local authorities will be able to design and implement policies more effectively according to regional youth needs and characteristics.

After listening to the suggestions, President Lee requested that relevant ministries "thoroughly review so that important administrative needs from the field can be promptly reflected in national policy." He encouraged the participants, saying, "While each task is difficult and challenging, I believe that if the central and local governments pool their wisdom and strength together, we can achieve balanced regional growth and build a sustainable South Korea." President Lee also emphasized local governments' subjectivity and responsibility, stating, "I hope you will refer to yourselves not as 'local autonomous entities,' but as 'local governments.'"

Prior to the meeting, the 9th-term mayors, county governors, and district heads adopted a "Declaration of Practice for Local Governments for Residents," pledging to create local governments that ensure residents' happiness and safety.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.