SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination highlighted the need for regional development Wednesday, arguing the country may have no future without balanced national development.

Minister Lim Ki-keun made the remark during a forum on balanced national development, stressing the issue is more pressing than ever before and that the government is making genuine efforts to make it happen.

While all previous administrations pushed for balanced development policies, their efforts largely ended up as rhetoric without meaningful changes on the ground, as the Seoul metropolitan area continues to absorb most investment, resources and population, he noted.

"Balanced development used to be regarded as something that would be nice to have and missing out on it brought only mild disappointments. But now, I believe that there is no future for the Republic of Korea unless we seek region-led growth," Lim said.

He said the government is trying to make real changes.

"We are making a much more comprehensive approach than before and are trying to get the job done," Lim said, referring to the "grand national land transformation" that the administration is pushing for.

The initiative calls for creating growth engines in eight regions, known as "five poles and three specials."

The five poles refer to the capital area, the southeastern region, North Gyeongsang Province and Daegu, the central region and the southwestern region, while three specials refer to the three special autonomous provinces -- the island of Jeju, North Jeolla Province and Gangwon Province.

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