President Lee Jae Myung has stressed the need for active fiscal spending in an era of slowed growth and reduced tax revenue.

Presiding over a meeting on state finances Wednesday, Lee said the government should be open to borrowing resources if necessary, using the image of sowing a bowl of seeds to harvest a sackful of crops.

The president countered critics who want the country to live within its means and caution against borrowing, saying this would be like leaving fields fallow and making a harvest impossible.

He said while state finances should serve as priming water for growth, tax revenue is decreasing due to the nation’s slowed growth.

Lee’s remarks are an apparent call to finance state projects by issuing national bonds and to pursue an expansionary policy involving active spending.