Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun: "Joint Government Response in Overpopulated Zones Must Prioritize Coexistence Between Seoul Metropolitan Area and Non-Metropolitan Regions"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-seong] Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun emphasized that "going forward, the core of joint government response in the overpopulated zone should be 'coexistence between the Seoul Metropolitan Area and non-metropolitan regions.'"

At the regular meeting of the Joint Response Council of Municipalities in Overpopulated Zones held on the 20th at the Suwon Convention Center, Chairman Lee Jae-jun stated, "Suwon City is cooperating with Bonghwa County, which faces a depopulation crisis, and is operating the 'Cheongryangsan Suwon Camping Site' in Bonghwa County," and added, "Like the coexistence cooperation case between Suwon City and Bonghwa County, we need to make known that non-metropolitan regions can only survive if the Seoul Metropolitan Area grows."

The mayor also said, "The government is envisioning 5 mega-cities and 3 special zones, and including the Seoul Metropolitan Area in the '5 mega-cities' is a message to make the Seoul Metropolitan Area an economic capital," proposing "as an economic capital, let us consider what role the Seoul Metropolitan Area can play."

The meeting, which began with Mayor Lee Jae-jun's welcoming remarks, continued with the presentation of results from the 'Research on Coexistence Measures for Non-Metropolitan Regions Through Regulatory Relaxation of the Seoul Metropolitan Overpopulated Zone' by Lim Ji-yeol, Director of the Goyang Research Institute, a presentation titled 'Rural-Urban Living Infrastructure Coexistence Cooperation - Challenge Cases of Suwon and Bonghwa' by Kim Do-young, Suwon City Policy Director, a report on Council operational achievements, and a 2026 promotion plan report.

The meeting was attended by mayors and vice mayors from nine local governments in the overpopulated zone, including Suwon City.

The 12 cities designated as overpopulated zones under the Seoul Metropolitan Area Adjustment Planning Act established the Joint Response Council of Municipalities in Overpopulated Zones in November 2023.

In July of last year, mayors and members of parliament from 12 cities in the overpopulated zone formed the 'Overpopulated Zone Regulatory Relaxation Task Force Committee,' electing Mayor Lee Jae-jun of Suwon, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang, and Assemblyman Yeom Tae-young (Suwon) as representatives and committee chairs.