Yoon: "Education is Key to Regional Balance"...Proposes Running Mates for Local Leaders and Education Chiefs (Update)

Second Session of National Task Review Meeting 'Vision and Strategy for the Local Era'
Yoon "There Must Be Many Good Schools in Local Areas for Good Companies to Come Down"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol identified "education issues" as the core of balanced regional development on the 15th.

At the second session of the 1st National Task Inspection Meeting titled "Vision and Strategy for the Local Era," held at the Blue House State Guest House, President Yoon emphasized, "Companies follow people, and people follow residential environments, among which schools are the most important."

President Yoon illustrated this by citing an example from his transition team period when he met with heads of six economic organizations to discuss regional development. He said, "At that time, a governor of a metropolitan province offered a lot of land in his region so that companies could build factories and invest. However, the heads of organizations responded, 'Even if you give the land for free, they won't come.' When asked why, they said, 'The employees do not follow.'"

He further highlighted the correlation between regional development and education by mentioning a case where two companies competing in a specific field had factories in different locations: Company A built a factory in Paju, while Company B built factories in Tangjeong, Cheonan and Asan. Many key technicians from Company B transferred to Company A.

He added, "If there are good middle and high schools or local universities and other educational facilities in the provinces, many good companies will come down, and a significant number of talented people can stay there. I believe this is possible because living in one place for a long time provides many benefits and comparative advantages."

President Yoon also praised Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Lee Ju-ho’s announcement shortly after his inauguration to transfer the Ministry of Education’s authority over local universities to city and provincial governors, saying, "It is a very good idea, and I have always thought this way." He emphasized, "Through special accounts for higher education and similar measures, universities and local industries can advance together." The special account for higher education is a special budget that allows universities to use a portion of funds previously allocated to elementary, middle, and high schools, which has faced strong opposition from some superintendents and educational organizations.

To facilitate this, he proposed a running mate system in which metropolitan governors and superintendents of education run as a pair in elections, rather than being elected separately as under the current system. In his closing remarks at the inspection meeting, President Yoon said, "Especially in higher education, authority will be transferred to local governments. If that happens, rather than electing metropolitan governors and superintendents separately, if they run as running mates and local residents choose them, it will greatly help the local era and balanced regional development. I would like to say this through this meeting."

Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun pointed out, "Although there has been a strong awareness that concentration in the metropolitan area is serious, there has been great reluctance to actually implement alternatives, and in the process, centralized bureaucracy is very severe, which I have felt keenly while working in administration." He also emphasized, "Some major principles for the local era are well established, but I think the most important thing for local governments to achieve specialized development is to transfer authority significantly and quickly."

In response, President Yoon criticized that while the United States has laws and tax systems tailored to each state’s circumstances, South Korea’s local governments all operate under a single law. He particularly said, "I will do what can be done by presidential decree, but fundamentally, if the National Assembly considers this matter, local governments could have more autonomy and create a structure where local governments compete fiercely with each other."

On the 15th, merchants at Cheongnyangni General Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, are watching the live broadcast of the 1st National Task Inspection Meeting chaired by President Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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