President Lee Jae-myung stated, "We must pool our efforts for the stable relocation of key national functions so that Sejong City, which symbolizes balanced national development, can firmly establish itself as the undisputed central axis of state administration."

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex-Sejong, President Lee emphasized this, saying, "Sejong City is a city born from a historic decision for balanced development in South Korea."

In particular, he urged, "Accelerate the construction of the presidential office in Sejong and the National Assembly Sejong Building, and proceed with the arrangement of related infrastructure without a hitch," adding, "We must exert all our efforts with the resolve to open the era of the Sejong presidential office within our administration's term and hold our final Cabinet meeting there as well."

He also added, "Legal and institutional support for the practical and final completion of Sejong as the administrative capital must continue without interruption."

Referring to the public-private joint inspection meeting on the three major mega-projects that he presided over the previous day, President Lee continued, "If balanced national development is the soil for sustainable growth, fostering super-gap high-tech industries is the seed for a great economic leap forward."

President Lee noted, "As this is the largest project since the establishment of the government, there are realistically quite a few areas that need improvement," and called for active and creative administration, saying, "All ministries and local governments must join forces to boldly improve and shorten outdated practices and unnecessary procedures, and preemptively remove obstacles hindering early investment."

He also stressed, "Small modular reactors (SMRs), renewable energy, quantum computers, aerospace, and advanced biotechnology are core fields that will determine hegemony in future global industries," adding, "Strategic investments in these areas must also be carried out meticulously and intensively on a scale comparable to the three major mega-projects."

(Photo: Yonhap News)