4th Meeting of the Public-Private Council...
"President Lee and the Democratic Party Pledge to Support Administrative Integration under the 'Five Megaregions and Three Special Districts' System"
"If Over 70% Support in the Late July Survey, There Will Be No Grounds for Opposition"
Changki Lee, Co-Chairman of the Daejeon-Chungnam Administrative Integration Public-Private Council (left), and Jaegun Jung, Chairman (Chungnam), are holding a press conference on the afternoon of the 5th at the Chungnam Provincial Government Press Center regarding the contents of the 4th meeting held that day. Photo by Yoonji Pyo
The Daejeon-Chungnam Administrative Integration Public-Private Council stated on the 5th, "The inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration will be an opportunity for administrative integration."
Changki Lee, co-chairman of the Public-Private Council (Daejeon), held the 4th meeting in the main conference room of the Chungnam Provincial Government on the afternoon of the same day and said, "President Lee Jaemyung has served as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, so he is very familiar with local governments. Just as President Lee and the Democratic Party of Korea pledged to support the administrative integration under the 'Five Megaregions and Three Special Districts' system, I expect the process will proceed smoothly."
President Lee Jaemyung's 'Five Megaregions and Three Special Districts' strategy aims to move away from the current single-capital-region system by establishing and activating special local autonomous governments in five major megaregions?Capital, Southeast, Daegyeong, Central, and Honam. It also includes amending special laws to strengthen the autonomy and competitiveness of the three special self-governing provinces: Jeju, Gangwon, and Jeonbuk.
Lee stated, "According to a public opinion poll conducted by a broadcasting company in May, about 54% of city and provincial residents supported administrative integration. If we actively promote this in June and July, I believe we can easily achieve over 70% support."
He added, "We plan to conduct a resident survey around the end of July. Of course, the resident survey does not have legally binding force over administrative integration, but in terms of increasing public consensus, we are setting a target of 70% support."
Lee emphasized, "Ahead of the National Assembly's introduction of the special law, the approval rate in Daegu-Gyeongbuk was about 65%. If our approval rate exceeds 70%, neither the new administration nor the National Assembly will have grounds to oppose it."
Jaegun Jeong, co-chairman (Chungnam), explained, "Based on what was discussed in today's meeting, the special bill will be finalized."
Meanwhile, the Public-Private Council plans to gather opinions from the representative bodies of both cities and provinces in July, submit the special bill to the regular session of the National Assembly, and work to ensure its passage within the year after the bill is finalized.
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