People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seok on Sunday accused the opposition of using administrative integration bills as a tool to divide the ruling party and favor the Honam region.
"It is regrettable that President Lee Jae-myung, Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair Choo Mi-ae, and senior Democratic Party figures including Rep. Park Ji-won are shifting blame to the opposition and stoking regional conflicts and internal divisions within our party over such a critical national issue as metropolitan government integration," Song wrote on Facebook.
Song noted that the decision to bring only the Gwangju-South Jeolla integration bill to a plenary vote was "a unilateral decision by Chair Choo and the Democratic Party."
The floor leader emphasized that his party originally proposed administrative integration for Daejeon-South Chungcheong and Daegu-North Gyeongsang regions and maintains there is no disagreement on the need for integration to achieve balanced regional development.
"However, there are clear differences in content and design between the Gwangju-South Jeolla integration bill and the other integration bills that Chair Choo decided to shelve," Song said.
He argued that the Gwangju-South Jeolla bill specifically outlines strategic industry master plans and special provisions for artificial intelligence and energy sectors, with a relatively clear structure for transferring authority, while other integration bills lack such specificity and could trigger regional conflicts.
Deputy Floor Leader Yoo Sang-beom also criticized the opposition on Facebook. "When has the Democratic Party ever failed to pass a bill due to lack of power? Ramming through any legislation they want with unchecked force has been their routine," Yoo wrote. "Blaming the PPP floor leadership for delays in TK administrative integration is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black."
Rep. Na Kyung-won, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, told reporters at the National Assembly: "The Democratic Party passed only the Gwangju-South Jeolla bill in committee and then blamed us for opposing Daegu-North Gyeongsang and Daejeon-South Chungcheong integration. From our perspective, they only intended to help Gwangju-South Jeolla. This law was created because they want to give a 'budget bonanza' to Honam, the foundation of their political power."