President Lee: "Swiftly and boldly improve regulations; I will personally oversee permitting for mega-project special zones"

Lee Attends Second Plenary Meeting of Regulatory Rationalization Committee
"We Should Also Discuss How to Regulate Mega Special Zones"
Calls for Overhaul of Conventional Rules That Hinder Startups

President Lee Jae Myung said on Oct. 23, "Regulations that block the development of new technologies and emerging industries, or outdated and inconvenient regulations, must be improved swiftly and decisively." He added that, for the three major mega-projects in particular, "I will personally address on-the-ground difficulties, such as obtaining permits and approvals."

Speaking at the second plenary meeting of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, held that day at the state guesthouse at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said, "Regulatory rationalization is an essential task for making the Republic of Korea an irreplaceable nation."

President Lee Jae Myung listens to remarks from attendees at the second plenary meeting of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee at Cheong Wa Dae on Oct. 23, 2026. Yonhap News.

President Lee stressed, "We are establishing a new system of super-regional special zones for the three major mega-projects. This is an important national core strategy that can create new growth engines for regions and break the vicious cycle of concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area and regional decline. We must also discuss together how to establish and operate regulations for this initiative."

He added, "Since the super-regional special zones for the mega-projects are a key agenda item whose progress the president will personally review, I will also directly address the on-the-ground difficulties, such as obtaining permits and approvals, that will be discussed at this meeting."

President Lee said, "The recently proposed bill on super-regional special zones reportedly includes around 300 regulatory exemptions, the largest number ever in a single law. I hope you will give this matter attention so that it can become the most efficient bill possible. There may also be things we can do before the law is enacted, and I hope the Regulatory Rationalization Committee will swiftly and proactively improve such matters."

President Lee also offered advice regarding the National Startup Era. He said, "When people actually try to start a business, they face many difficulties: a lack of information, complicated regulations, and too much paperwork. We need to decisively eliminate administrative, customary regulations that are not essential."

President Lee also said, "To pursue regulatory rationalization, rather than simply implementing one-sided deregulation, we need to change how we view regulations. The number of regulations we have improved matters, but so does how much investment, business creation, and job creation those changes have generated."

President Lee said, "I will continue to see through changes on the ground so that regulatory rationalization can give growth wings, plant seeds for the future of our regions, and energize people's livelihoods. I also want to stress that we must exercise due care to ensure that the outcome does not fundamentally undermine people's lives and safety, the environment, or other important values we must uphold."

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