Minister of the Interior, Daegu Mayor, and Gyeongbuk Governor Gather to Discuss
Promotion of Enactment of Integrated Special Act by the End of This Year
The government has begun full-scale discussions aiming for the launch of the integrated Daegu-Gyeongbuk autonomous entity on July 1, 2026. A "Pan-Government Integration Support Group" involving relevant ministries will also be formed.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Chairman of the Local Era Committee Woo Dong-gi, Mayor of Daegu Hong Joon-pyo, and Governor of Gyeongbuk Lee Cheol-woo announced this after discussing the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration promotion plan at the Government Seoul Office on the 4th.
On the 13th, advisory committee members, including Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, are taking a commemorative photo at the launch ceremony of the Future-Oriented Administrative System Reform Advisory Committee held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@
The Mayor of Daegu and the Governor of Gyeongbuk expressed that the integration of the two metropolitan autonomous entities is urgent to secure new growth engines and enhance regional competitiveness. In response, the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the Chairman of the Local Era Committee also agreed on the necessity of integration, stating that it aligns with the government's administrative system reform direction to overcome national crises such as population decline.
The basic directions for integration include promoting integration based on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk agreement and preparing government-level support measures.
Daegu and Gyeongbuk will prepare an integration plan that 5 million citizens and residents can agree upon, pass it through the city and provincial councils, and push for the enactment of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integration Special Act by the end of the year. The government plans to support the direct and indirect costs of integration and consider granting administrative and financial special privileges so that the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration can serve as a leading case of administrative system reform.
Additionally, to support the Daegu-Gyeongbuk agreement, the government intends to form a Pan-Government Integration Support Group involving relevant ministries to concretize government-level support measures. The target date for the launch of the integrated autonomous entity is July 1, 2026, and related procedures for the enactment of the special act will be carried out within this year.
In the future, if an agreement is reached in the administrative integration working group, a second meeting will be held to conduct further discussions.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
