The industry ministry is seeking on-site regional growth measures under its five hubs and three special zones plan. South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Monday that Minister Kim Jeong-gwan (김정관) will tour eight regions from Jan. 22 to late February. The move aims to overcome a capital-centric system and achieve balanced national growth, targeting all areas outside the capital region.

The itinerary prioritises areas farther from the capital and the three special zones that are considered relatively difficult. Kim will visit North Jeolla Province and the Southeast region from Jan. 22 to 23, Gangwon Province and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk and Central regions from Feb. 4 to 6, the Southwest region from Feb. 12 to 13, and Jeju on Feb. 20. He plans to stay in each region and keep a schedule from breakfast through late evening.

The ministry said it is making the visits based on the view that the nation can grow sustainably only if regions are the centre of growth. In its New Year work report, the ministry presented as a top task supporting regions to become key drivers of economic growth under the vision of "growth for regions, vitality for companies."

The on-site schedule will proceed in four stages. Through meetings with local governments, it will discuss fostering growth engines for the five hubs and three special zones and ways for cooperation between central and local governments. It will seek ways to expand manufacturing AX and gather views on revitalising regional investment through talks with regional companies and visits to industrial sites. It will meet regional youths, workers and graduate students to discuss ways for young people to settle in the regions. It will share the status and vision of regional industries through exchanges with innovation institutions.

By region, the schedule includes meetings with provincial governors and mayors, a meeting with companies related to M.AX, a meeting with tenant companies in industrial complexes, a meeting with young workers, and a meeting with heads of innovation institutions and economic organisations. Companies in core industries such as semiconductors, automobiles, secondary batteries and bio will take part.

The ministry said it plans to use the visits to shift the focus of all policies to on-site locations and regional areas and craft policies that the field can feel and regions can recognise. It said responsible bureau chiefs have previously visited local governments or held meetings to conduct working-level consultations on selecting growth engines for the five hubs and three special zones. The director-general for industrial foundation visited Gwangju, Gangwon, South Jeolla, Jeju and North Jeolla in December last year, while the director-general for regional economic policy held meetings covering the Central region, Jeju, Gangwon, the Southeast region, the Southwest region, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region and North Jeolla.

Kim said, "I regard 2026 as the first year of regional growth and the last chance, and I will go all in on regional growth with an extraordinary resolve."