Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said northern Gyeonggi Province and areas near the inter-Korean border in Gangwon Province should be included in regionally led growth plans, speaking at the first meeting of the party's Special Committee on Mega Projects and Regional Growth.
"Northern Gyeonggi and Incheon, which are nominally part of the greater Seoul area, have traditionally been left out of capital region development plans and felt marginalized in the past. If they are also left out in an era of regional growth, they could feel doubly marginalized," Kim said at the National Assembly on the 31st. He described the committee's mandate as covering "mega projects plus the regional growth that has been left out of the regionally led growth framework of five poles and three special zones."
Kim called the committee's task "a matter on which the nation's fate depends." He added that the panel is "the most important of the Mega Ten initiatives I announced earlier," and that "since the government cannot dribble the ball alone, not only local governments but also local councils must play a very significant role."
Lee Kwang-jae, the committee's senior vice chairman, stressed the importance of education. "When you look at how small units become world-class cities, there are several common features," he said. "One of them is having a world-class university. Companies come because the talent is there, and jobs are created because companies are there. And around those universities, there are always good childcare and education facilities, medical services and cultural amenities."
Lee said what the country should aim for is the recognition that "jobs ultimately come out of universities." He added, "When we create places where companies and their surroundings include affordable housing, childcare, education, healthcare and culture together, that is when we will become a new Republic of Korea."
Kwon Chil-seung, the committee's standing vice chairman, said he would "make every effort to ensure that the fruits of growth do not remain confined to particular regions or particular companies, but lead to changes that all citizens can feel."
