Park Sungman, Chairman of Gyeongbuk Provincial Council: "Hong Joonpyo and Lee Cheolwoo Should Risk Their Political Careers on the TK Administrative Integration Referendum"

Asia Forum Invitational Discussion

Park Sungman, Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, stated on the 31st that he opposes the ongoing Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration, citing a lack of public opinion gathering and consensus among local residents.

Chairman Park, at an Asia Forum invitation debate held at 7:30 a.m. at Daegu Art Park in Nam-gu, Daegu, a meeting of leading journalists in Daegu, said, "There is no consensus among 2.6 million Gyeongbuk residents and 2.3 million Daegu citizens regarding the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration. There is strong opposition from 11 cities and counties in northern Gyeongbuk, including Andong and Yecheon," and added, "To directly confirm the residents' intentions, a referendum is desirable. A referendum is transparent and not procedurally difficult," he said.

Sungman Park, Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council

Chairman Park also said, "Oh Sehoon, the Mayor of Seoul, once staked his position as mayor when pushing for free school meals. The Mayor of Daegu and the Governor of Gyeongbuk should also stake their positions. If the referendum is rejected, they should stake their political careers," he added.

Chairman Park continued, regarding Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo's negative stance on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration two years ago, "Mayor Hong is a good politician. He was once the presidential candidate for the ruling party. He is a born politician and a heavyweight conservative figure in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. However, a politician's words must be weighty, and the use of power should be lighter than a feather," he expressed.

The Provincial Council Chairman Park said, "The Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration plan is to go through the city and provincial councils and then have the central political circle enact a special law in the National Assembly. However, I doubt whether the Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the National Assembly, will pass the special law for administrative integration. It is also worth considering promoting the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration and the Gwangju-Jeonnam integration as a two-track approach," he said.

He said, "Currently, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration is being pushed hastily. I do not know where the idea of completing the integration by 2026 came from," and added, "The most important issue in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration is the economy. We should consider lifting the Daegu and Gyeongbuk block and first pursuing economic integration, or developing Gyeongbuk by region. The important thing is not the resolution of the city and provincial councils, but how it is passed. After integration, there will be numerous issues such as how to handle national agencies like Daegu Police Agency and Gyeongbuk Police Agency," he pointed out.

Chairman Park emphasized, "Consensus building is necessary for city-province integration. The opinions of the 12 Daegu National Assembly members and 13 Gyeongbuk National Assembly members should be sought first, and the mayors and county governors in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region should also be persuaded by the governor visiting each region. We need to let go of everything and start drawing from a blank slate. Only then will we find the answer," he urged.

Chairman Park also commented on Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo's suggestion of measures such as casino permits to persuade the northern Gyeongbuk region, saying, "Did Daegu City promise to draw up a development plan for northern Gyeongbuk? My pride was hurt when Daegu City brought a roadmap for northern Gyeongbuk. I felt bad," and added, "Mutual respect is necessary in the process of discussing administrative integration. If we are to integrate the city and province, we must do it properly. We need to create a local community where people can live well without having to move to the capital area. Even if it takes time, let's proceed with city-province integration carefully and thoroughly," he urged.