People Power Party, Supreme Council Approves Special Committee on Metropolitan Residents' Convenience Improvement
"If Residents Demand, Additional Seoul Annexation Areas Will Be Considered"
Opposition: "Premature Plan... Administrative System Must Be Discussed"
The People Power Party has decided to establish a 'Special Committee for the Improvement of Convenience for Residents in the Metropolitan Area (tentative name)' and will actively promote the issue of incorporating Gimpo City into Seoul at the party level. They also reaffirmed their position to actively consider similar requests from nearby cities of Seoul if there is demand from residents.
Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the People Power Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting on the 2nd, "The People Power Party intends to launch a special committee directly under the party leader to listen to residents' opinions and support necessary measures," adding, "We will proceed solely from the citizens' perspective." He continued, "Rather than ignoring the earnest hopes of Gimpo residents, the Democratic Party should cooperate to maximize residents' convenience," and said, "If residents of cities near Seoul similar to Gimpo come together with their intentions, the party will actively consider it." This implies that, based on residents' approval, discussions on incorporating cities such as Goyang, Gwangmyeong, Guri, Gwacheon, and Hanam into Seoul could be expanded.
Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
The People Power Party Supreme Council appointed Assemblyman Cho Kyung-tae as the chairman of the special committee on the same day. Park Jeong-ha, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting, "We appointed Assemblyman Cho, a five-term lawmaker and a doctor of civil engineering, as the chairman," and introduced, "The official name of the special committee will be finalized once the committee is fully formed." The special committee is expected to be composed of both parliamentary members and experts.
The People Power Party focused on emphasizing the justification for discussing Gimpo's incorporation into Seoul. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "If Seoul incorporates Gimpo, becoming a city bordering the sea, it will gain new growth momentum due to changes in locational conditions and lay the foundation to leap forward as a representative metropolitan economic zone in Northeast Asia," adding, "The incorporated Gimpo will also achieve development in all infrastructure aspects."
However, the Democratic Party maintains a position that careful consideration is necessary, while highlighting that this is a 'election strategy' of the ruling party ahead of next year's general election. The Better Future, the largest parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, criticized in a press conference on the same day, saying, "This immature declaration, which cannot even be called a policy, stirs up real estate expectations," and questioned, "Has there been any sincere review by expert groups or the government regarding this announcement?" They stated, "Whether cities around Gyeonggi Province should be incorporated into Seoul fundamentally needs to be discussed along with the reorganization of the entire national administrative system. If accessibility is the issue, building transportation networks should come first," and added, "The areas that need megacity discussions are not Seoul but Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, Chungcheong, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, and Honam."
Local governments also have differing positions. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said at a briefing on the 2024 budget proposal the day before, "We will provide citizens with the basis for judgment after thorough review." Mayor Oh plans to meet with Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo on the 6th. On the other hand, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, on his way to a business trip to China the day before, told reporters, "This is dividing the land," and "The ruling party only has political calculations left," criticizing, and said, "What Gimpo residents need most is the confirmation of the extension of Subway Line 5 and to quickly push this forward through exemption from preliminary feasibility studies."
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