Mayor Lee Jangwoo: "It Is Crucial to Transfer as Much Central Government Authority as Possible to the Daejeon-South Chungcheong Special City"

"Democratic Party Lawmakers from Chungcheong Were Extremely Cynical and Completely Uninterested" in Daejeon-South Chungcheong Integration
"Governor Kim Taeheum and I Are Solely Focused on the Future of Chungcheong"

Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon (Photo by Mo Seokbong)

Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, criticized Democratic Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region regarding the administrative integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, stating, "So far, Democratic Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region have been extremely cynical and showed no interest at all."

At a press conference held in the city hall briefing room on the 23rd, Mayor Lee said, "Not a single lawmaker responded to our suggestion to co-sponsor the bill," and added, "After a single comment from the President, they are now holding press conferences as if they are the main players in local autonomy and the Daejeon-South Chungcheong administrative integration, but in fact, these are the very people who opposed it the most."

He continued, "Those who had no interest at all have now described the 257 special provisions included in the Daejeon-South Chungcheong Integration Special Act, which reflect the sweat and efforts of many people, in a strange way," and criticized, "That is not the ethics of politics."

He emphasized the expertise of the administrative integration committee, saying, "The administrative integration did not just happen. Jeong Jaekeun, co-chairman from South Chungcheong, previously served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and has played a practical role in the integration process, while Lee Changgi, co-chairman from Daejeon, is a prominent public administration scholar."

Mayor Lee stressed, "The most important aspects of local autonomy are fiscal authority and organizational authority," adding, "It is about having the authority to secure tax revenue and to carry out independent projects."

He also mentioned the weak political standing of the Chungcheong region.

Mayor Lee said, "Politically, Chungcheong is sandwiched between Yeongnam and Honam and has not been able to play a major role," and diagnosed, "Even if you just look at the number of lawmakers, most are from Honam and Yeongnam."

He continued, "If you look closely at the proportional representatives excluding Chungcheong, most Democratic Party members are from Honam, and most People Power Party members are from Yeongnam," emphasizing, "This kind of political imbalance also needs to be addressed."

He stated, "When creating the special law, we drafted it to transfer authority to local governments. Tomorrow, I plan to meet with Kim Taeheum, Governor of South Chungcheong Province, for thorough discussions."

Mayor Lee said, "Governor Kim Taeheum and I are solely focused on the future of Chungcheong," and refrained from commenting on the candidate for the integrated mayor, saying, "Who becomes the administrative head after the integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong is a very minor issue."

He emphasized, "What is truly important is integration and the future of Chungcheong. Integration is a means to achieve balanced national development, local autonomy, and to respond to the dominance of the Seoul metropolitan area. To compete with cities around the world, we need a certain size and economic scale."

Mayor Lee added, "The most important thing is to achieve integration while transferring as much central government authority as possible to the Daejeon-South Chungcheong Special City. No matter what difficulties or obstacles we face, we must overcome them and move toward the future."

Meanwhile, Mayor Lee Jangwoo of Daejeon and Governor Kim Taeheum of South Chungcheong Province will meet at 9 a.m. on the 24th at the South Chungcheong Provincial Government Office to discuss the administrative integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong.