Lee Nak-yeon Visits Gyeongnam: "Fully Support Bu-Ul-Gyeong Megacity as the Second Economic Capital"

Former Democratic Party presidential pre-candidate and former leader Lee Nak-yeon is announcing policies for the Gyeongnam region at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council on the 23rd. Photo by Sanghyun Lee lsh2055@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Former Democratic Party presidential primary candidate and former leader Lee Nak-yeon visited the Gyeongnam Provincial Council on the 23rd ahead of the Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam primary scheduled for the 2nd of next month and held a policy presentation for the Gyeongnam region.

At the event, former leader Lee said about the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) Megacity, "Discussions are progressing more practically here than in any other region nationwide," adding, "To complete this, it is urgently necessary to recreate the Democratic Party government that has led national balanced development."

Regarding the recent skepticism about the megacity from the opposition party, he said, "Concerns are naturally possible. However, fundamentally, for national balanced development, a metropolitan-level economy of a certain scale must be formed in the region," and added, "Bu-Ul-Gyeong has a metropolitan population of 8 million, meeting that condition best. If medical care, welfare, and education are properly supported here, it can grow much larger."

Specifically, he proposed increasing per-student education expenses at regional flagship national universities, abolishing tuition fees by 2025, a full 10-year exemption of corporate tax for companies relocating from the Seoul metropolitan area to the region, raising the local allocation of value-added tax to 35% by 2030 to expand local finances, and full national funding support for welfare budgets targeting children and the elderly.

Additionally, considering the elongated east-west shape of Gyeongnam, which may prevent the megacity benefits from spreading evenly, he emphasized the need to accelerate the construction of the Southern Inland Railroad and the aerospace industry cluster.

Regarding the 'Daejang-dong issue' of Lee Jae-myung, which has been a subject of continuous debate in the political sphere recently, he stated, "I understand that the police investigation has already begun," and added, "It is right to refrain from political disputes and wait for the investigation results."

On the Media Arbitration Act, he said, "That law alone does not complete media reform," adding, "The three?media industry structural improvement, public broadcasting governance reform, and this law?must be well implemented together. I will establish a presidential advisory body for this purpose."

Finally, former leader Lee appealed for support, saying, "The public sentiment is moving toward a candidate who is flawless, expansive, and has a future vision. I dare say that candidate is me, Lee Nak-yeon," and added, "The primary must be moving, inspiring, and competitive, and the candidate chosen at the end must be an impregnable candidate who will not collapse even under the harsh scrutiny awaiting in the final election."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.