President Lee: "It Was Truly Regrettable to See Northern Gyeonggi Excluded Despite Its Special Sacrifices"

President Lee Jaemyung said on the 14th, "It has been truly regrettable to see that the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, despite making significant sacrifices, has been particularly excluded."

Yonhap News Agency

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On this day, President Lee presided over a town hall meeting in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and remarked, "During my little over three years as governor of Gyeonggi Province, there were quite a few things I wished I could have done but could not due to a lack of authority."

In particular, President Lee said, "When it comes to handling the issue of land returned by the U.S. military, there seemed to be several solutions if the government just paid a little more attention, but it was frustrating that things did not progress. For example, in Dongducheon, if a small portion of the returned land had been handed over in advance, it could have been dredged to reduce flood damage, but for over a decade, nothing changed."

President Lee continued, "Whenever I had the opportunity, I asked President Moon Jae-in for help, and once I received a single letter of consent, the matter was resolved immediately. I heard that the annual flooding that plagued the area has now disappeared."

He also addressed the issue of water source regulations in Namyangju and Gapyeong. President Lee said, "Because these are border areas, residents have suffered many injustices due to various military regulations. In places like Namyangju and Gapyeong, people have endured much damage due to water source regulations but have not received any benefits, so I believe there must have been many grievances."

President Lee went on to say, "Now, I am finally in a position where I can handle many issues at once. It is gratifying that if all the ministries quickly coordinate and the matter is reasonable and necessary, it can be resolved swiftly."

He added, "The northern part of Gyeonggi Province has suffered for decades for the sake of the entire nation. I will listen to suggestions on how to resolve these issues and also hear the opinions of the relevant ministries."

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