Parliament Passes Only Jeonnam-Gwangju Merger Bill Amid Political Calculations

Of the three administrative integration bills covering Daegu-North Gyeongsang, South Chungcheong-Daejeon, and Jeonnam-Gwangju, only the Jeonnam-Gwangju merger bill was passed at the National Assembly plenary session on the 1st. This absurd situation arose because both ruling and opposition parties prioritized political gains and losses ahead of the June local elections over the original purpose of balanced national development.

The National Assembly passed the "Special Act on the Establishment of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City" on this day, led by the Democratic Party of Korea while People Power Party members were absent. The bill's core provisions grant the integrated special city a status equivalent to Seoul Special City and provide special exceptions for national financial support and educational autonomy.

Metropolitan area overcrowding is causing numerous side effects including regional depopulation, soaring Seoul housing prices, and low birthrates. As President Lee Jae-myung stated, "Decentralization and balanced growth have now become a national survival strategy." However, since the integration of metropolitan governments is a century-long national undertaking, the proper course is to develop detailed plans through resident participation and public deliberation. This should not be rushed through as a speed campaign, dangling "carrots" of up to 20 trillion won for each integrated local government ahead of elections. Even the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice have called on the government to "stop the hasty pursuit" of its "integrate first, supplement later" policy.

Furthermore, there are concerns that integrating only Jeonnam-Gwangju—the ruling party's stronghold—could invite unnecessary political misunderstanding and regional conflict. Moreover, without the integration of South Chungcheong-Daejeon and Daegu-North Gyeongsang, it will be difficult to achieve the policy goals of relieving metropolitan concentration and balanced regional development.

Both ruling and opposition parties bear responsibility for this situation. When the Democratic Party took the initiative on administrative integration that the People Power Party had been promoting for two years, PPP consistently maintained a passive attitude, citing reasons such as "guaranteeing substantive autonomy."

The Democratic Party also falls short of conduct befitting a ruling party. While accelerating administrative integration, the party did not even place the Daegu-North Gyeongsang and South Chungcheong-Daejeon integration bills on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's voting agenda, citing the need to gather regional public opinion. When the People Power Party confirmed Daegu-North Gyeongsang integration as its official party position, the Democratic Party demanded that PPP also adopt South Chungcheong-Daejeon integration as party policy and issue a public apology before it would process the bills.

Both parties must now work together to find sophisticated regional integration plans. They should remember that approaching regional survival issues solely through political calculations could trigger a public backlash.