President Lee Jae Myung has reaffirmed his commitment to a plan to construct a second presidential office and National Assembly building in Sejong City.

The president made the statement on Tuesday while presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Sejong for the first time, saying that completing Sejong as the country’s administrative capital would lay the cornerstone for balanced national development.

Lee stressed that the country’s greatest challenge today is achieving sustainable growth and that the strongest foundation for such growth is balanced development.

He added that if the current concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area persists, the capital region will become overcrowded while other areas face decline, making nationwide sustainable growth and development extremely difficult.

Lee also vowed to accelerate the implementation of the government’s strategy for balanced national development and to speed up the establishment of region-specific growth hubs.