Kim Taeheum and Lee Jangwoo Exclude Political Calculations in Daejeon-Chungnam Administrative Integration

"Legislative Cooperation Based on Respect for the Existing Special Law"

Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province (right), and Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon (left), held a private meeting at the Chungnam Provincial Office on the 24th and agreed that discussions on the integration of Daejeon and Chungnam should not be swayed by the interests of the election phase.

Amid ongoing political controversy surrounding the administrative integration of Daejeon and Chungnam, the two leading regional government heads in the Chungcheong area reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of "excluding political gains and losses," aligning their pace in advancing the integration initiative. They agreed that, given the national imperative to overcome the Seoul metropolitan area’s dominance, discussions on integration must not be swayed by the interests of the election phase.

Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province, and Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon Metropolitan City, held a private meeting in the governor’s office at the Chungnam Provincial Government on the 24th to discuss the direction for promoting Daejeon-Chungnam administrative integration and strategies for legislative action in the National Assembly.

Both leaders shared the view that growth strategies led by the central government have entrenched the concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, thereby limiting the nation’s overall growth potential.

They also agreed that the administrative integration of Daejeon and Chungnam should be proactively pursued as a region-led balanced development model to break through these structural limitations.

Governor Kim stated, "The current administration has also identified overcoming the dominance of the Seoul metropolitan area and restructuring the national growth model as key policy directions, and has expressed its intention to actively support the administrative integration of Daejeon and Chungnam. It is positive that the ruling party, which had previously been passive about integration, is now taking a more forward-looking stance."

However, he drew a line by saying, "With the local elections coming up next year, there are concerns that political motives or calculations may be involved, so a sincere approach is necessary."

In particular, regarding recent discussions within the ruling party about reintroducing a special law separate from the existing bill, he pointed out, "They have previously criticized the lack of public debate and hasty legislation, so it is not logically consistent to try to push a new bill within just a month or two. This could instead lead to delays in the integration timeline and undermine policy credibility."

He added, "If both parties agree on balanced national development, the reasonable solution is to revise and supplement the already proposed special law."

Mayor Lee also repeatedly emphasized the accumulated achievements of the ongoing integration discussions.

He stated, "The five-pole, three-special balanced growth initiative proposed by the President is in line with the direction of the Daejeon-Chungnam administrative integration, and I strongly welcome the President’s statement of support for integration."

He explained, "Research institutes and experts from both cities and provinces, as well as public-private consultative bodies, have participated to thoroughly discuss practical elements of local autonomy, such as fiscal special provisions and the transfer of organizations and authority, and these outcomes are already reflected in the special bill."

He continued, "We have gathered residents’ opinions by touring the cities and provinces, and have completed a deliberative process through the resolutions of both city and provincial councils. We urge the National Assembly to respect the accumulation of these discussions and the consensus of the local community."

Concluding their meeting, the two leaders stated, "Going forward, we will maintain a close cooperative system to ensure that practical elements of local autonomy, such as fiscal special provisions and the transfer of authority, are properly included in the legislative bill during the National Assembly process."