S. Korea's Lee vows to expand support for border regions
President Lee Jae Myung said Friday the government will step up support for regions bordering North Korea to compensate for their sacrifices and promote balanced regional growth, Yonhap reports.
Lee made the remarks during a town hall meeting with residents in Gangwon Province, located south of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.
Gangwon is the nation's largest tourist destination, but at the same time, it is also a region that has borne enormous sacrifices due to the inter-Korean confrontation, Lee said at the event in Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
Although we cannot fully compensate for the special sacrifices borne by border regions like Gangwon, we will make every effort to ensure that living in Gangwon no longer feels unfair, he added.
Lee criticized past governments for imposing excessive restrictions on border areas without providing fair compensation, calling the practice "unjust."
He said the government will expand education, cultural and welfare infrastructure to improve living conditions in the region while pursuing balanced national development.
As reported previously, South Korea's government plans to issue the second and final round of cash handouts to citizens under the supplementary budget program later this month to stimulate private consumption and revitalize the economy.
