North Gyeongsang Province Gov. Lee Cheol-woo (North Gyeongsang Province)

ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province -- South Korea has achieved remarkable economic success after the 1950-53 Korean War, but faces grave challenges ahead as the country suffers from rapidly aging population, low birth rate, and unhappiness.

North Gyeongsang Province Gov. Lee Cheol-woo, who also heads the Governors Association of Korea, believes that the quality of Koreans' lives is being deteriorated by what he calls "metropolitan sickness.”

The phenomenon of metropolitan sickness is attributed to the fact that over half of the country's population resides in what is known as the Greater Seoul area -- consisting of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province -- despite it occupying only less than 12 percent of the country's land, according to the governor.

The Greater Seoul area is also home to 86.9 percent of the nation's 1,000 largest companies. More than 100,000 young people migrate from rural areas to the Greater Seoul area in search of better paying jobs.

“There is no future for South Korea if the phenomenon of concentration in the Greater Seoul area is not resolved,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

Overpopulation in the capital region has pushed up real estate prices and competition for jobs. Overwhelmed by the heated race, young people in the city abandon their dreams of having a family, he said. This vicious cycle threatens not only young peoples' quality of life, but also even the nation’s existence, he added.

According to Statistics Korea, the population of the Greater Seoul area has grown by 14 percent from 2002 to reach 23 million as of March 2023. In contrast, the population in the rest of the country has risen only 1 percent.

Despite the challenges, Lee has pinned his hopes on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which has placed a strong emphasis on promoting local autonomy and equal opportunities for all citizens. The Yoon administration has set the goal of offering people equal opportunities regardless of where they live, which Lee believes can resolve the current unbalance between the Greater Seoul area versus the rest of Korea.

In a meeting with the heads of local governments in February, President Yoon emphasized the need to decentralize its power -- which is heavily concentrated in Seoul and its vicinity -- and transfer some of it to local governments.

Lee noted that previous administrations introduced special laws aimed at promoting balanced national development, but they failed to address the issue on a national level.

This is because they tried to promote balanced national development "from the central government’s perspective,” he said. “The central government has led everything without delegating sufficient authority and budget to regional governments.”

Gov. Lee believes that promoting regional competitiveness is essential, and that this can be achieved through diversification of industrial structures, cultural offerings, growth models, lifestyles and values.

“By promoting such diversity, each region can develop its unique strengths and advantages, ultimately contributing to the overall competitiveness of the nation,” he said.

He is actively taking the lead in promoting regional competitiveness in his own province. He is working to diversify the province’s industrial structure and enhance its cultural offerings, growth models, lifestyles and values to promote greater regional competitiveness.

North Gyeongsang Province is home to several cities with strong industrial bases, such as Pohang and Gumi.

Pohang is a major hub for the steel industry, and home to the headquarters and production plants of companies such as Posco, Hyundai Steel and Dongkuk Steel. Meanwhile, Gumi is an important hub for the electronics industry. The city boasts large-scale business districts and research institutes of major companies such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, LG Electronics, LG Display, Hanwha Aerospace, LG Innotek and SK Siltron.

The governor's plans for promoting the province's regional competitiveness include driving growth and development in key strategic industries such as the chips industry, which will strengthen the electronics industry in Gumi. He also plans to focus on the battery and biotechnology industries, which have the potential to become significant contributors to the province's economy beyond the steel industry centered in Pohang and Andong. In addition, efforts will be made to elevate the agricultural, livestock and fishery industries into high-tech, export-oriented and profitable sectors, with a particular emphasis on innovation and sustainability.

By pursuing these strategies, Gov. Lee hopes to enhance the province's overall competitiveness and contribute to the growth and development of the country as a whole.

In order for balanced national development to be possible, and for people to be able to move from the Greater Seoul area to other regions, there must be “ample opportunities available in the provinces,” he said.

North Gyeongsang Province will innovatively lead the "provincial era," the governor said, adding that central and local governments must work together for shared growth and development.

Gov. Lee began his political career in 2008 by winning a parliamentary seat for the constituency of Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where he was born and raised. After serving three terms, he was elected the governor of North Gyeongsang Province in 2018 and appointed the chairman of the Governors Association of Korea last year. Established in 1999, the association represents the common interests of local governments and aims to promote balanced development.