President Lee to Hold Luncheon with Gwangju and Jeonnam Lawmakers at the Blue House on the 9th

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a New Year's greeting at the opening ceremony held at the Blue House's State Guest House on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung will hold a luncheon meeting with National Assembly members from Gwangju and Jeonnam of the Democratic Party of Korea at the Blue House on January 9.

The Blue House announced this in a press release to the media on January 4.

At the meeting, President Lee is expected to listen directly to the opinions of local lawmakers regarding the discussions on the integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam. Kang Gi-jung, Mayor of Gwangju, and Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam, expressed their intention to complete the integration before the June local elections during a press conference held on December 30 of last year.

On January 2, President Lee also posted on his social networking service (SNS) an article titled "After Daejeon and Chungnam, Gwangju and Jeonnam next?" The post included a news article about the discussions on integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam, which have been separated for 40 years.

President Lee emphasized, "The integration of metropolitan governments, which once seemed difficult, is gradually gaining momentum," and added, "It appears that public opinion is converging on the need to overcome the Seoul metropolitan area-centered system and open a new path for 'region-led growth.'"