Kwon Youngjin (Daegu Dalseo-byeong), a member of the People Power Party who previously served as mayor of Daegu, expressed his support on the 23rd, stating, "I will actively assist with the administrative integration of TK."
On this day, Kwon attended the 'Decentralization and Integration' forum as a senior advisor at 2 p.m. at the Daemyung Campus of Keimyung University in Daemyung-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu. He said, "I will actively support in the National Assembly the administrative integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk being promoted by Mayor Hong Joonpyo of Daegu and Governor Lee Cheolwoo of Gyeongbuk."
Kwon Youngjin of the People Power Party is delivering a greeting at the 'Decentralization and Integration' forum.
An official from Daegu City and Gyeongbuk Province said, "During the three months in which the administrative integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk has been underway, there has been fierce debate for and against among politicians, civic groups, and local councils. Among the 25 People Power Party lawmakers representing the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, Kwon is the first to make his position clear."
On this day, Kwon said, "Currently, there are 17 metropolitan local governments, but the authority is still held by the central government, so there is no future. While serving as mayor of Daegu, I promoted the administrative integration of Daegu City and Gyeongbuk Province from the perspective of economies of scale. However, while building consensus, the process was halted due to the outbreak of COVID-19. As my term as mayor ended, the discussions on integration could not proceed further."
Kwon continued, "Recently, Mayor Hong Joonpyo and Governor Lee Cheolwoo have rekindled the initiative. It is not easy for a former official to step forward when the current mayor and governor are leading the effort. Therefore, although I am cautious, I will actively support in the National Assembly the work being done by Mayor Hong and Governor Lee."
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