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President Lee Jae-myung listens to remarks from participants during a briefing session by government ministries held at the state guest house of the presidential office on the 4th. / Yonhap

President Lee Jae-myung called on the 4th for expediting the electricity and water supply needed for the "three mega-projects" in response to the AI-driven industrial transformation, and for addressing "K-shaped growth" — the widening gap between large conglomerates and small businesses. The aim is to spread industrial infrastructure currently concentrated in the greater Seoul area to the regions, and to shift the vertical structure between large and small companies toward a horizontal, mutually beneficial relationship.

At a briefing session held at the state guest house of the presidential office that day with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Intellectual Property Office, the Ministry of Climate and Energy, the Korea Meteorological Administration, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, President Lee laid out strategies for strengthening industrial competitiveness and pursuing regionally centered growth.

President Lee said, "The world is currently undergoing a massive upheaval in which the entire industrial framework is being reshaped around artificial intelligence," adding, "In times like these, bold challenge, investment, and speed are essential."

He added, "In the end, the key is building 'irreplaceable Korea' — a competitiveness that is uniquely ours and cannot be substituted," stressing that it is the government's role to read the flow of change and lay the groundwork for innovation.

Spreading industrial infrastructure to the regions was also presented as a core task. President Lee said, "We need to redraw the map of our leading industries with a regional focus, so that the axis of Korea's growth can expand from the greater Seoul area to the rest of the country."

He diagnosed that the concentration of population and industry in the greater Seoul area lies behind various social and economic problems, including housing prices there, and stressed the need for industrial policy that favors the regions.

President Lee also called for securing the infrastructure and workforce needed to carry out the three mega-projects, saying, "Please ensure there are no disruptions to the stable supply of electricity and water, which is essential to the success of the three mega-projects announced recently."

He also said, "Isn't the most serious problem facing our economy this 'K-shaped growth' — this polarization of growth?" adding, "For the industrial ecosystem to remain healthy, large corporations and materials, parts, and equipment companies need to move away from a vertical subcontracting relationship and build a horizontal network instead."

                                                                                                       Park Young-hoon