Ruling Party Steps on the Gas for 'Daejeon-Chungnam Integration'... Forms Intra-Party Special Committee

Bill to Be Proposed by January Next Year

As President Lee Jaemyung called for accelerating the administrative integration of Daejeon and Chungnam, the Democratic Party has stepped on the gas, forming a special committee within the party on the 19th.

Members of the Democratic Party representing constituencies in Daejeon and Chungnam are holding a press conference on the integration of Daejeon and Chungnam at the National Assembly Communication Center on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

At the Supreme Council meeting held that morning, Democratic Party Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun announced the formation of the "Special Committee on the Integration of Daejeon and Chungnam and the Development of the Chungcheong Region" (Chungcheong Special Committee). Chief Spokesperson Park explained that the creation of this special committee marks "the starting point of the party’s commitment to supporting President Lee’s philosophy of balanced national growth through the administrative integration of Daejeon and Chungnam."

Supreme Council member Hwang Myungseon was appointed as the standing chair of the special committee, while lawmakers Park Beomgye, Lee Jeongmoon, and Park Junghyun were named as co-chairs. All of them represent constituencies in Daejeon and Chungnam.

Supreme Council member Hwang stated, "Going forward, we will bring together lawmakers, civil society in Daejeon and Chungnam, and various stakeholders to work with the Lee Jaemyung administration to develop a blueprint for the Special City of Chungnam-Daejeon and ensure that the necessary legislation is prepared as soon as possible."

The Chungcheong Special Committee plans to discuss matters such as the name of the integrated city and the use of government buildings, and intends to prepare a bill on the integration of Daejeon and Chungnam by January next year.

Democratic Party lawmakers from Daejeon and Chungnam held a press conference that day, stating, "We will secure the maximum possible special provisions regarding fiscal decentralization and autonomous authority, and, through close cooperation with the central government, achieve a substantial transfer of powers."

Park Junghyun, a co-chair of the special committee, told reporters after the press conference, "After a deliberative process, the first phase of the bill is expected to be completed by the end of January next year. If it is referred to the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and a public hearing is held in February, it could pass the National Assembly plenary session as early as early March, or by mid-March at the latest, so the process can proceed without clashing with the local election schedule."