By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak pushed the political parties Wednesday to redraw electoral and administrative districts as quickly as possible, saying the country will not be able to resolve negative regionalism under the current system.
"There are no ruling party lawmakers in the Jeolla provinces. There are no opposition lawmakers in the Gyeongsang provinces, either. How can we talk about regional harmony in this situation," Lee said.
"Political parties should move quickly to address this problem, as a way to serve the needs of people and increase national competitiveness."
Lee made the proposal during a nationally-televised press conference at the presidential office.
The President said overhauling administrative and electoral districts is crucial to easing regional animosity, saying the current system, based on reform measures taken 120 years ago, is too archaic to reflect changing needs.
"There is no reason to stick to the outdated system. Korea is not an agricultural society anymore," Lee said.
The parties agree on the need to redraw the districts in a bid to address regional divisions, but differ on how.
Lee said he has his own ideas about redrawing them, but that the decision is basically up to politicians.
Regarding the government's plans to aid people with low credit ratings, provide cheap homes to young couples and lower mobile rates, Lee said the measures are not aimed at raising his public support, but designed to help ordinary people experiencing economic hardships.
"Last year, I met business leaders often to call for investment and job creation. Recently, however, I have asked them to fulfill their social responsibilities," Lee said.
"The administration will seek cooperation from companies to make the plans successful. The measures will be helpful not only for ordinary people, but for businesses in the long term."
Lee also pledged measures to buy more rice from farmers this year to protect them from falling prices. Firms need to develop more rice products while the government raises campaigns to promote rice consumption, he said.