On the 8th at 2:30 PM, Gyeongnam Provincial Government Public Deliberation Committee Inauguration Ceremony... Blueprint for Busan-Gyeongnam Administrative Integration Revealed
Mayor Park Hyung-jun: "Innovation Changing National Balanced Development, Core Is Receiving Authority and Resources from Central Government"
Busan City and Gyeongnam Province announced a draft of the basic plan for the administrative integration of Busan and Gyeongnam at the launch ceremony of the ‘Busan-Gyeongnam Administrative Integration Public Deliberation Committee’ held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office at 2:30 p.m. on the 8th.
The launch ceremony was attended by Mayor Park Hyung-jun, Governor Park Wan-su of Gyeongnam, and appointed committee members including the co-chairmen of the Public Deliberation Committee (Jeon Ho-hwan and Kwon Soon-gi).
The draft basic plan announced that day included ▲ the vision and status of administrative integration ▲ integration model proposals ▲ necessary authorities for the integrated local government.
The Busan-Gyeongnam Research Institute began research on the basic plan for administrative integration in April to accurately inform the advantages, disadvantages, effects, and future outlook of the Busan-Gyeongnam administrative integration.
▲ Vision and Status of Administrative Integration
Both the city and province presented a vision to establish the status of a decentralized metropolitan local government exercising full autonomy through administrative integration, supporting the development of an ‘economic capital’ and realizing balanced national development.
▲ Integration Model Proposals
The model for the integrated local government proposed two options, the ‘two-tier system’ and the ‘three-tier system,’ based on maintaining existing basic local governments and their affairs to minimize confusion caused by integration.
The ‘two-tier system’ is a model that abolishes Busan City and Gyeongnam Province and establishes a new integrated local government.
The ‘three-tier system’ is a model that retains the existing Busan City and Gyeongnam Province while establishing a ‘quasi-state’ as the highest-level local government equivalent to a federal state, responsible for super-regional affairs and the transfer of special local administrative agency tasks.
▲ Necessary Authorities for the Integrated Local Government
Five major areas were presented as core authorities to establish the status of the integrated local government: ① autonomous administration and legislative authority ② autonomous finance and taxation authority ③ economic and industrial development authority ④ national land use and management authority ⑤ education, public safety, and welfare authority.
In terms of autonomous administration and legislative authority, it was proposed to fully delegate the regulation of detailed legal matters to ordinances rather than administrative legislation such as enforcement decrees and rules, establish autonomy in organization and personnel management, and completely transfer the affairs and finances of special local administrative agencies.
To strengthen autonomy in autonomous finance and taxation authority, the necessity of establishing local taxes for the transfer of national taxes, adjusting local consumption tax and income tax, and supporting metropolitan integrated grants as financial incentives due to integration was also mentioned.
Along with the transfer of authority necessary for regional industrial development and regional development, the need to transfer authority for building a system from elementary to university to lifelong education, expanding autonomous police, and transferring funds to respond to local extinction was also presented.
To secure various tax benefits and regulatory exceptions necessary for attracting investment and revitalizing the regional economy, the transfer of authority to designate various economic special zones such as investment promotion districts and free economic zones, the authority to lift development restriction zones that hinder regional development, and approval authority of the Central Urban Planning Committee were also included.
The draft basic plan announced that day mentioned the minimum authorities necessary to establish the status of the integrated local government, and the Public Deliberation Committee will incorporate various opinions and disclose the final basic plan for the Busan-Gyeongnam administrative integration in the future.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, “The administrative integration of Busan and Gyeongnam will be a struggle for innovation where we ourselves change the game of national balanced development, and the core will be to receive authority and resources equivalent to a federal system from the central government.” He added, “We will refine the draft basic plan well with the Public Deliberation Committee so that the final plan, which satisfies the citizens of the city and province, can be established to ensure the goals of national balanced development are well realized.”
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