President Moon Jae-in has reiterated that a constitutional amendment is needed to provide more autonomy to local governments, saying an excessive concentration of power in the capital region must be prevented.

Speaking at a meeting with mayors and local governors at his office in Seoul, President Moon said that although a constitutional amendment bill failed to clear the National Assembly in 2018, five major proposals and amendments of the Local Autonomy Act took effect on Thursday.

He expressed hopes that recent efforts and discussions on local autonomy would help in reaching the country’s goals for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and carbon neutrality, while paving the way for a new governance that breaks the barriers between regions.

Sixteen heads of local governments took part in the meeting presided over by Moon, to discuss local autonomy and balanced regional development.