Jokook: "Administrative Integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam Is a Matter of Survival, Not Choice"

Presenting a Vision for the Era of Local Renaissance, Emphasizing the Need for Integration
"We Will Make 2026 the First Year of the Great Leap Forward for Gwangju and Jeonnam"

Jokook, leader of the Jokook Innovation Party, stated on January 7, "The administrative integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam is not a matter of choice, but a task that determines the survival of the region," adding, "We must open the era of 'Gwangju-Jeonnam Renaissance' through administrative integration."

Jokook, leader of the Jokook Innovation Party. The Asia Business Daily DB

On his Facebook page that day, Jokook said, "I still remember a young person I met in Gwangju who said, 'If you are born in the provinces and cannot go to Seoul, you are deprived of opportunities.' As wealth and people concentrate in the Seoul metropolitan area, the heart of the region is growing cold."

He emphasized, "We must usher in the 'Era of Local Renaissance' where the powerful heartbeat of Korea is heard across the nation," and stressed the need for a national vision that establishes various 'capitals' throughout the country. He proposed a structure in which each region has its own unique role, such as administrative capital, cultural capital, semiconductor capital, energy capital, and maritime capital.

Jokook stated, "On the foundation laid by Kim Daejung, who opened the era of local autonomy, Roh Moohyun, who set the cornerstone for balanced national development, and Moon Jaein, who proposed the megacity concept, we must turn President Lee Jaemyung's will to realize region-led growth into reality."

He reiterated the necessity of integrating the administrations of Gwangju and Jeonnam. "If Gwangju is the center of advanced intelligence industries, Jeonnam is the core of the energy industry," he said. "When these two regions are united, Gwangju and Jeonnam can leap forward as a megacity."

He continued, "The administrative integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam has been a long-cherished goal discussed since 1995, and nearly 30 years of social consensus have accumulated. There has never been a time when its realization was as likely as it is now."

Jokook argued that administrative integration should be used to simultaneously promote industrial restructuring and energy transition. "Gwangju and Jeonnam are regions with optimal conditions for both power generation and industrial location," he said. "Through administrative integration, we can demand the central government to relocate renewable energy-based industries."

He also stated, "Administrative integration is an opportunity to create quality jobs for young people and to boost the regional economy," and declared, "The Jokook Innovation Party will mobilize all its resources to make 2026 the 'first year of the great leap forward for Gwangju and Jeonnam.'"

Jokook said, "We will support Gwangju and Jeonnam in securing a status and special organizational privileges equivalent to Seoul, and ensure additional allocation of local subsidies and priority relocation of public institutions through legislation and policy. We will stand with the citizens until Gwangju and Jeonnam become a new land of opportunity with competitiveness and vitality on par with the Seoul metropolitan area."