"Gyeongbuk Northern Region Should Be Considered for Designation as a Government-Directly Controlled 'Special Self-Governing Province'... Suggests Andong City Council Member An Yuan"

Local Governments Near Daegu Discuss Administrative Integration Focused on Basic Units

Andong City Council member Ahn Yuan (representing Taehwa, Pyeonghwa, and Angi) pointed out the problems of the hasty promotion of the Gyeongbuk-Daegu administrative integration and urged a focus on the completion of the new Gyeongbuk provincial government complex and seeking measures for balanced development in the northern region of Gyeongbuk.

On the 9th, during a five-minute speech at the 252nd temporary session of the Andong City Council, Ahn Yuan stated that the promotion of the Gyeongbuk-Daegu administrative integration has effectively collapsed, and assessed that this was a fully predictable and natural outcome.

Andong City Council Member Yu An

He particularly argued that the integration discussion, which began with the agreement of local government heads, lacked public opinion gathering from city and provincial residents, was mired in a power struggle over the location of the government complex and jurisdiction, and hastily pushed forward major issues related to the region's history and identity. As a result, it led to a waste of administrative resources and conflicts among residents for 100 days.

Furthermore, although this is the second time since 2019 that the integration discussion has failed, Ahn suggested that, given the possibility of its revival at any time, there should be a complete cessation of the existing administrative integration discussion and a focus on the sustainable development of Gyeongbuk.

Ahn stated, "The reorganization of administrative districts should be discussed with a focus on central and basic local governments that embody the values of grassroots democracy. As a measure to promote balanced development in Gyeongbuk, nearby local governments that share living zones with Daegu should be integrated into Daegu City, while for the northern region of Gyeongbuk, which has been excluded from development, we could consider designating it as a special self-governing province directly under the central government." He indicated that administrative integration is not the only way to achieve balanced development.

Ahn further added, "With the third phase of the construction of the new Gyeongbuk provincial government complex, we should focus on the development of the northern Gyeongbuk region as an administrative center and on balanced growth for Gyeongbuk. Administrative integration discussions can resume at any time, so we must prepare arguments and logic for our region and ensure they are reflected in any future integration discussions."