President Lee Jae-myung Hosts National Policy Briefing for Mayors and County Heads

President Lee Jae-myung held an in-depth meeting with local government leaders on November 12th at the Yeongbingwan State Guest House, as he hosted a national policy briefing for mayors, county heads, and district chiefs. The event was attended by leaders from 226 cities, counties, and districts across the nation, who shared various opinions on local issues and requested active government support. The briefing focused on in-depth discussions on key areas of concern for local governments, including revitalizing local economies, improving residents' quality of life, and managing disaster safety. President Lee Jae-myung specifically detailed the government's policy direction for balanced regional development, requesting the active cooperation of local governments and emphasizing the importance of mutual collaboration. An official from the Presidential Office stated that the briefing is "expected to be an important opportunity to promote mutual understanding between the central and local governments and to build a closer cooperative relationship." The official added, "We will strive to reflect the various opinions derived from this briefing in our policies so that they can lead to practical regional development." At the briefing, President Lee Jae-myung emphasized that "it is most important to listen to the voices of the regions and to promote customized policies that are tailored to the characteristics of each region." He promised, "Real regional development can only be achieved when the central and local governments work together, and the government will spare no effort to provide all support for this purpose." Local government leaders attending the briefing conveyed to President Lee Jae-myung their suggestions on expanding investment attraction to revitalize local economies, expanding social welfare services to improve the quality of life for residents, and strengthening disaster prevention and response systems. They explained the unique difficulties of their regions and requested attention and support from the government. In response, President Lee Jae-myung pledged, "The government will do its best to solve the difficulties faced by each region and actively support regional development." He emphasized, "We will work closely with local governments to make every effort to ensure that the lives of local residents improve in a tangible way." One mayor who attended the briefing said, "I am deeply grateful to President Lee Jae-myung for listening directly to the voices of the regions and for showing his willingness to resolve local issues."

He added, "I hope that this national policy briefing will further deepen the trust between the central and local governments, and that practical cooperation for regional development will be achieved." Another county head stated, "We will make every effort to revitalize the local economy and improve the quality of life of residents through active government support and cooperation." He emphasized, "We will actively discover new ideas for regional development as a result of this briefing and strive to reflect them in our policies." The national policy briefing, which began at 5:40 PM, lasted for approximately two hours, and attendees spent time exchanging various opinions for regional development while sharing a dinner. They continued in-depth discussions on local issues in a frank and open atmosphere. The Presidential Office stated that it plans to establish regional-specific policies based on the results of this briefing and further strengthen the cooperation system with local governments. In particular, it emphasized its goal of achieving practical balanced regional development through differentiated policy support that takes into account the characteristics of each region. This national policy briefing is evaluated as President Lee Jae-myung's first event inviting mayors, county heads, and district chiefs from across the nation since taking office, demonstrating a firm commitment to strengthening communication and promoting cooperation between the central and local governments. Through this event, the central and local governments pledged to build a closer cooperative relationship and make joint efforts for regional development. Immediately after the national policy briefing, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "Based on the discussions today, we will actively promote policies to revitalize the local economy and improve the convenience of residents' lives." He reiterated, "We will do our best to communicate and cooperate closely with local governments to achieve regional development." The Presidential Office announced that following this briefing, it plans to regularly hold meetings with local government leaders to continuously gather opinions on local issues and reflect them in its policies. The next official schedule can be found on the Presidential Office website.