The focus of this vision is the promotion of broad-based growth that brings practical benefits to the public, small businesses, and regions outside the Seoul capital area.
The Korean leader pledged to promote comprehensive progress in all fields, from politics, the economy, and society to culture, diplomacy, and national security. President Lee Jae Myung stressed a strategy of balanced regional development based on a multi-centre model, under which Seoul will be the economic capital, the central region as the administrative hub, and the southern region as the country’s “maritime capital”.
Consistently emphasising the importance of balanced regional development, President Lee Jae Myung has stated that the government will increase budgetary support for areas outside the capital, as constraints such as population decline have caused these regions to recover more slowly. In the framework of an overall plan to promote economic growth, the Government of the RoK has announced a series of measures to stimulate consumption in these areas. Notably, according to the Korean leader, the fruits of growth must be shared fairly.
President Lee Jae Myung expects 2026 to become the starting point of a “great transformation of the RoK”. One of the key targets of the Korean government is to restore the economy’s potential growth rate. President Lee Jae Myung affirmed that he will vigorously pursue structural reforms in six key areas: regulations, finance, the public sector, pensions, education, and labour. According to him, to reverse the trend of declining potential growth, what is most urgently needed is bold structural reform.
In his ambitious reform plan, President Lee stressed that the public sector must eliminate unnecessary leadership positions and ensure that restructuring does not become a pretext for marginalising vulnerable groups. In addition, he called for the restructuring of functions and the establishment of evaluation mechanisms for public-sector agencies, focusing on the people and restoring the public sector’s role as a driver of economic growth.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung also warned that the economic formula that once helped the RoK rise rapidly in the last century has now become a “development trap”. Increasing inequality and widening gaps are hindering development. The concentrated capital, once a strength, are now increasing social conflict, turning old growth drivers into structural barriers. At the same time, citing recent successes in tariff negotiations with the US as well as large-scale national defence and nuclear energy export contracts, President Lee Jae Myung noted that benefits are currently flowing disproportionately to large corporations.
In addition, regarding the cultural and security fields, President Lee Jae Myung pledged to invest more deeply in the cultural ecosystem so that “K-culture” does not become merely a passing trend. Emphasising that peace is a prerequisite for sustainable growth, he committed to making efforts to ease tensions and rebuild trust between the two Korean regions.
The goal being pursued by the Government of the RoK is to build a country with balanced development, where national prosperity goes hand in hand with the progress of every citizen. A highlight of President Lee Jae Myung’s New Year message is the close linkage between peace and growth, and the view that maintaining a stable environment will help turn challenges into driving forces for long-term development.
