"Addressing Regional Extinction and Balanced Development Tasks"
Calls for Prompt Action from City, Provincial, and National Assemblies
As discussions on the administrative integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam accelerate, former local council members of Gwangju Metropolitan City have officially declared their support for the merger. The former city and district council members defined administrative integration as a task directly connected to addressing the crisis of regional extinction and to the national balanced development strategy.
On the 19th, former local council members of Gwangju Metropolitan City announced a statement supporting the administrative integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam at the Gwangju City Council press room.
On the afternoon of the 19th, a group of former Gwangju local council members held a press conference at the Gwangju City Council and announced a statement supporting the administrative integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam. In their statement, they said, "The administrative integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam is not simply a reorganization of administrative districts, but a timely decision to overcome the crisis of regional extinction and realize balanced national development."
They presented administrative integration as a task linked to President Lee Jaemyung's "Five Poles, Three Specials" national balanced development strategy. They explained that the integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam could be a solution to overcome the region's structural limitations and turn them into opportunities for growth and advancement.
The former local council members cited the President's commitment to balanced development and the institutional support of the Democratic Party of Korea as the reasons why discussions on the integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam are progressing ahead of other regions. They also mentioned the establishment of the "Special Committee for Promoting Gwangju-Jeonnam Integration" and the formation of the "Five Poles, Three Specials Balanced Growth Support Group" following resolutions by the Democratic Party’s Supreme Council.
They also emphasized the decisions by Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijung and Jeonnam Governor Kim Youngrok to push for integration, calling it "a choice for the centennial future of Gwangju and Jeonnam," and stating, "This will serve as an opportunity to overcome the administrative and economic disconnection that has continued since the separation in 1986 and to move toward a unified living and economic zone."
They defined administrative integration as a survival strategy that combines both justification and practical benefits, stating that a unified Gwangju and Jeonnam could establish itself as a core growth axis in the southern region and become an area that creates future industries and jobs.
Along with this, they called on the city and provincial councils for prompt and responsible discussions, urging them to faithfully reflect the will of the citizens. They also requested bipartisan cooperation from Gwangju and Jeonnam National Assembly members during the legislative process for a special law.
They concluded by saying, "We will join forces with local residents to help ensure that President Lee Jaemyung’s philosophy of balanced development bears fruit first in Gwangju and Jeonnam by completing administrative integration."
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