DP Daejeon-Chungnam Integration Committee Welcomes Government's Special Provisions Announcement... "Aiming to Pass Special Bill Before Lunar New Year"

Democratic Party Accelerates Daejeon-Chungnam Integration
Gwangju-Jeonnam Integration Committee Also Welcomes Special Support Provisions

The Special Committee on Daejeon-Chungnam Integration of the Democratic Party of Korea welcomed the 20 trillion won in national-level support for metropolitan and local government integration and announced plans to process the special integration bill in February. The Special Committee on Gwangju-Jeonnam Integration also expressed its support for the government's policy.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the 2nd plenary meeting of the Special Committee on Chungnam-Daejeon Integration and Development of the Chungcheong Region held at the National Assembly on January 6, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

On January 16, at the National Assembly's Communication Center in Yeouido, Hwang Myungseon, Standing Chairman of the Special Committee on Daejeon-Chungnam Integration and Chungcheong Regional Development, held a press conference and stated, "The administrative integration support plan announced by the government this morning contains bold and practical measures that will accelerate the momentum for integration." He added, "It is significant that the government has elevated administrative integration to a core national growth strategy and announced concrete measures to support it responsibly."

Earlier that morning, Prime Minister Kim announced a special provision for up to 20 trillion won in support in the event of metropolitan and local government integration. Prime Minister Kim stated that the government would provide up to 5 trillion won per year, up to a maximum of 20 trillion won over four years, for the integrated special city, prioritize the relocation of public institutions, and grant a status equivalent to that of Seoul.

After the press conference, Park Junghyun, Co-Chair of the Special Committee, told reporters that "there is a high possibility that the Daejeon-Chungnam integration special bill will be introduced next week," and added, "We aim to pass the bill in February, ideally before the Lunar New Year."

Chairman Park explained, "The special integration bill is expected to consist of 253 articles, of which 229 are related to special provisions. There are about 103 provisions already existing in previous special laws, and the remaining 126 are newly identified special provisions." He continued, "On January 27, at 2:00 p.m. in Chungnam and at 4:30 p.m. in Daejeon, the Prime Minister and relevant agencies will visit for a town hall meeting on this matter."

When asked about the impact of regional integration on city and provincial councils and local governments, Chairman Park responded, "It will not be easy to make immediate adjustments to city and provincial councils. The 48 members of the Chungnam Provincial Council and the 23 members of the Daejeon City Council will remain as they are. If a unified mayor is elected, this issue will be addressed under the leadership of the unified mayor."

Regarding the superintendent of education election, he said, "Assemblyman Sung Iljong of the People Power Party proposed a running mate system for the superintendent, but that is not possible. Since the superintendent cannot be a member of a political party, the election will be held separately, and the plan is to have a single superintendent for the integrated city."

Meanwhile, members of the Special Committee on Promoting Gwangju-Jeonnam Integration also held a press conference to welcome the special administrative support provisions. Co-Chair Kim Wonhee, when asked by reporters whether there had been discussions with Daejeon and Chungnam regarding the relocation of public institutions, replied, "There will be public institutions tailored to the characteristics of each region," and emphasized, "What I want to highlight is that Jeonnam is an agricultural hub, Mokpo is a major producer of marine products, and the region is known as an energy capital."

Regarding the possibility of Jeonbuk integration, he stated, "Jeonbuk is already a special autonomous province and is benefiting from that status. If integration were to occur, there could be issues of overlapping benefits, so for now, only Gwangju and Jeonnam will move forward with the process."