Park Wonjong of Jeonnam Provincial Assembly: "Jeonnam Policies Must Not Be Reduced During Administrative Integration Process"

Key Policies Such as Basic Birth Income Must Be Maintained After Integration

Park Wonjong, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, speaking at the meeting. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Assembly

Park Wonjong, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly's Education Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Yeonggwang 1), conveyed the concerns of local residents at the second meeting between the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly and the executive branch regarding the Gwangju-Jeonnam administrative integration held on January 19. He highlighted the need to institutionally guarantee the continuity of Jeonnam's key policies, noting that these policies could be reduced or become uncertain during the integration process.

During the meeting, Assemblyman Park stated, "Policies such as the Jeonnam-style Youth Village, Basic Birth Income, Student Education Allowance, and the Ten-Thousand-Won Housing Project are representative initiatives developed together with the residents of Jeonnam." He added, "Residents are feeling significant anxiety about the future of these policies as discussions on administrative integration progress."

He further emphasized, "Simply explaining that these matters will be decided after the integration is not enough to reassure residents. There is a need to establish at least minimum rules or principles, both in terms of policy and institutionally, to clearly communicate that Jeonnam’s major policies will be maintained and even expanded after integration."

In response, Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, stated, "It is our principle that welfare policies cannot be reduced during the integration process; in fact, they should be expanded." He added, "I agree that both Jeonnam's Basic Birth Income and Gwangju's welfare policies must be maintained after integration," and also said, "We will consider ways to clarify the policy direction for the reassurance of residents."

Assemblyman Park particularly pointed out regarding housing policy, "Policies like the Ten-Thousand-Won Housing Project, which were designed to reflect the regional conditions and characteristics of Jeonnam, cannot be approached with the same standards as Gwangju." He stressed, "There needs to be a more detailed review and allocation criteria to ensure that the policies promoted in Jeonnam can be preserved in terms of budget and project structure even after integration."

In conclusion, Assemblyman Park remarked, "Administrative integration should not be a discussion solely for administrative efficiency, but a process to uphold the trust in policies directly connected to the lives of residents." He added, "Rather than starting from the assumption that these policies might not be maintained, the starting point of the integration discussion should be to clearly demonstrate to residents the commitment to uphold them."