Park Jeong-hyeon outlines agenda in inaugural address, pledging to carry forward decentralization and turn '5-pole, 3-special' framework into regional opportunity

Park Jeong-hyeon, chair of the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development, speaks at her inauguration ceremony held at the committee's main conference room in Sejong on Monday. [Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development]
Park Jeong-hyeon, chair of the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development, speaks at her inauguration ceremony held at the committee's main conference room in Sejong on Monday. [Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development]

Park Jeong-hyeon, the newly appointed chair of the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development, said Monday that she would demonstrate the meaning of balanced growth through tangible change in people's lives.

"We will show what our balanced growth means to the public through the changes it brings," Park said at her inauguration ceremony held at the committee's main conference room in Sejong. "The results of our policies will be measured by jobs and income, living conditions, and opportunities for young people to put down roots."

In her inaugural address, Park outlined a direction that builds on the democratic government's legacy of decentralization and balanced development, while turning the "5-pole, 3-special" regional framework into concrete opportunities and connecting on-the-ground problems to national solutions.

"Regions are experiencing population decline and a weakening industrial base, while the greater Seoul area is bearing the costs of housing burdens and overcrowding," she said. "Changing this structure is a task that can no longer be deferred if South Korea is to achieve sustainable growth."

Park said the balanced growth the committee pursues must strengthen regional capacity while improving the lives of all citizens. "Industrial gains must translate into residents' income, and the foundations of education, healthcare, care services and housing must support settlement and new endeavors," she said.

She outlined plans to back regions with the authority and fiscal resources to determine and execute their own growth strategies, and to ensure that industrial gains flow through to residents in the form of income, jobs and improved living conditions.

To realize the "5-pole, 3-special balanced growth" vision, Park said she would work to connect strengths within each zone and foster cooperation so that corporate investment and talent development translate into quality jobs and regional industrial ecosystems.

She particularly stressed that central cities, surrounding municipalities, and rural and fishing communities must develop together, and that the voices of local governments and residents must be fully reflected in policy.

On decentralization, Park said the committee would work to enhance both the autonomy of local governments and their accountability to residents, adding that administrative integration and cross-regional cooperation would be pursued in a way that respects residents' wishes and local conditions.

She added that the committee would monitor whether cross-regional special agreements deliver improvements in investment, jobs, transportation and daily services, and would link the completion of the administrative capital and the relocation of public institutions to expanding the foundations for regional growth.

Park urged committee staff to take on the role of mediating disagreements between ministries and regions, and resolving institutional and fiscal obstacles that impede policy implementation.

The committee had been without a permanent chair for about seven months following the resignation of former chair Kim Kyung-soo in March, before Park was appointed on Oct. 1.


thlee@heraldcorp.com