The Disappearing Divide: Irreversible Regional Development.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, on the 14th of this month, at the declaration ceremony of the regional era held at the Busan International Finance Center in Nam-gu, Busan, stated, "The competitiveness of regions is the competitiveness of the nation," and promised, "I won't just shout about supporting regions with words while centralizing all authority."

 

Balanced national development is a crucial challenge for the sustainable development of South Korea.

 

President Yoon continued by saying, "We can no longer tolerate the absurd political situation where we cannot even build a simple shopping mall in the regions," and added, "We will support everyone in our country to receive essential medical services near their residences." He further emphasized, "South Korea has achieved industrialization and democratization," and stated, "Now, through the regional era, South Korea must leap forward."

 

These remarks are being viewed as a new solution and blueprint for achieving balanced national development, a long-standing challenge for past administrations. The core of this plan includes five main strategies and nine policies, focusing on "fair accessibility," "strengthening fiscal autonomy," "central government support for competitive industries," and "education linked to regional industries."

 

Experts have praised this plan as reaching unprecedented levels in terms of scope and intensity. This underscores the seriousness of the issue at hand, as balanced national development can no longer be neglected. A key indicator of this issue is the existence of "disappearing regions," where out of 226 cities and counties nationwide, over half, specifically 118, are classified as disappearing regions. Disappearing regions are areas where the population decline index, calculated by dividing the population of 20-39 year-old women by the population of those aged 65 and above, is less than 0.5. A low index value suggests that, in the absence of significant population inflow or outflow, the region is likely to disappear within about 30 years.

 

However, achieving balanced national development has never been an easy task for any administration. Some governments have even used it as an excuse to pursue populist policies or launch unnecessary large-scale social indirect capital (SOC) construction projects. Consequently, there are citizens with a negative perception of balanced national development policies. Nonetheless, experts agree that as the President has pledged, revitalizing the regions is crucial for South Korea, which faces challenges such as low growth, low birth rates, and an aging population.

 

This is why it is important to carefully examine the balanced development policy that the current government is pursuing. We should also review policies from past administrations with an attitude of "learning from the past to understand the present." In this process, we can identify important considerations for future policies.

 

The current government has established the "Presidential Commission on the Regional Era" as the responsible organization for the balanced development policy, which was launched in July. The projects related to the regional era announced by President Yoon on the 14th will also be led by the Presidential Commission on the Regional Era.

 

On the same day, the Presidential Commission on the Regional Era announced its "Vision and Strategy for the Regional Era," which includes five strategies based on the two pillars of regional decentralization and balanced development: "autonomy," "stability," "solidarity," "hope," and "values." The nine policies flesh out these strategies. Notable policies include those aimed at "resolving population outflow," "cultivating local talent," and "utilizing public land."

 

In his speech that day, President Yoon emphasized, "It's not a bad thing for Korean society to move from centralization to regional governance," and stressed, "Regardless of what is done in the regions, it should not be dictated by the central government but carried out under a legal framework in the regions." This indicates the intention to promote regional decentralization and balanced development together, and the term "governance" also emphasizes the importance of regional decentralization.

 

While it is positive that the government has expressed its determination to promote the regional era and balanced development, there are several important points to consider when leading the regional era and balanced development.

 

Firstly, emphasizing regional decentralization highlights the importance of cooperation and harmony between the central and regional governments. While it is important for regional governments to independently formulate policies, doing so without cooperation with the central government can cause confusion at the national level. Central and regional governments must work together to establish a system and measures that support the regional era at the national level.

 

Secondly, the principles of autonomy and balance must be maintained. When regional governments autonomously formulate policies, they should be able to make decisions based on the unique characteristics and needs of each region. However, this should not lead to unreasonable autocracy, and it is important to strategically balance development at the national level.

 

Thirdly, while strengthening fiscal autonomy, efficient resource allocation is essential. Regional governments must enhance fiscal autonomy while developing strategies for efficient resource allocation. Preventing resource concentration or wastefulness and ensuring fair distribution of value created locally at the national level are crucial.

 

Fourthly, special attention should be given to education and research. Investing in education and research in the regions can contribute to talent development and industrial growth. Considering measures to support regional education and research infrastructure and nurture local universities and research institutions at the national level is necessary.

 

Finally, the balanced national development policy requires long-term planning and implementation. Balanced national development is a complex issue that cannot be solved with short-term policies. It requires continuous and long-term efforts from both the government and the people.

 

Balanced national development is a crucial challenge for the sustainable development of South Korea. The current government's regional era and balanced development policy present both a new challenge and an opportunity. With effective implementation, it is hoped that the regional disparities can be reduced, and the entire nation can progress towards a brighter future.