Jo Kyung-tae "Run in Gimpo for the General Election? ... The Opposition Must Cooperate for National Development"

Kyoong Kyung-tae, People Power Party Lawmaker, KBS Radio Interview
"A Strategy Needed to Achieve National Land Efficiency"

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae stated that he would also listen to many urban experts regarding the incorporation of other cities besides Gimpo.

Cho, the chairman of the party's 'Special Committee for Improving the Convenience of Residents in the Metropolitan Area (tentative name),' which discusses the incorporation of Seoul-adjacent cities in Gyeonggi Province such as Gimpo, said on the 6th on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kang Sisa,' "We need to seriously consider whether Seoul can truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's major cities as one of the top five or at least top ten global cities if only Gimpo is incorporated into Seoul," adding, "I hope this opportunity will serve as a good chance to transition from Korea's inefficient administrative system to a more efficient one."

Rep. Cho Kyung-tae of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Cho emphasized, "Countries like the UK, France, Germany, the US, Japan, and even China are actively fostering megacities," and added, "Although Korea is late, a three-axis megacity connecting Seoul, Busan, and Gwangju needs to be promoted quickly to achieve balanced national development and improve national efficiency."

However, skepticism about the 'Megacity Seoul' concept is also being raised both inside and outside the party. Seo Byung-soo, a five-term senior lawmaker from the People Power Party, pointed out, "Seoul is already a 'super ultra' megacity," and said, "Making Seoul even more 'mega' would undermine South Korea's competitiveness." Kim Doo-kwan of the Democratic Party criticized the push for Megacity Seoul as contradictory amid the scrapping of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) megacity plan.

Regarding this, Cho said, "In the past, administrators or politicians led changes in the administrative system or designations, but now the trend should come from the bottom up," adding, "The current discussion about incorporating Gimpo reflects the strong aspirations and demands of Gimpo citizens."

He continued, "Similarly, for the Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity to succeed, the passion and demands of local residents must strongly emerge," and countered, "The government forcing these initiatives in a semi-coercive manner is a rather outdated way of thinking."

In response to Democratic Party lawmakers based in the Gimpo constituency criticizing the 'Megacity Seoul' plan as an election strategy and demanding Cho run for office in Gimpo, he said, "How little must they think of the local residents to say such things?" and added, "I believe it is desirable for the opposition party to participate and cooperate for national interest and development rather than politicizing this issue."