"If the Central Government Delegates Substantive Authority"... Ulsan Mayor Kim Dookyum Announces Position on Metropolitan Administrative Integration

Review of Administrative Integration Only with Delegation of Central Government Authority and Citizen Consent

"We will consider administrative integration only if the central government delegates its authority and the citizens agree."

On January 21 at 11:00 a.m., Ulsan Mayor Kim Dookyum presented Ulsan City's basic position regarding the government's "Five Major Regions and Three Special Zones National Balanced Development Strategy" and the recent discussions about metropolitan administrative integration between cities and provinces at the city hall press center.

Ulsan City maintains that substantive delegation of authority and citizen consent must come first when discussing metropolitan administrative integration in relation to the government's Five Major Regions and Three Special Zones National Balanced Development Strategy.

While Ulsan City agrees on the need for ultra-wide regional cooperation, it pointed out that integration that only expands administrative boundaries within a centralized structure could result in regional imbalance and inconvenience for citizens.

Since the city-county integration in 1995 and its elevation to metropolitan city status in 1997, Ulsan has accumulated industrial competitiveness, overcome the shipbuilding industry crisis, and is currently experiencing a resurgence in shipbuilding and a rare population increase among non-capital regions. Ulsan cites this as an example that local governments can fully demonstrate policy capabilities when given authority and responsibility.

Ulsan also mentioned the limitations of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Alliance, which was launched in 2022, and emphasized that a "Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Ultra-Wide Economic Alliance" that enables substantive cooperation is more realistic than a formal integration. In this regard, Ulsan City continues to expand the ultra-wide transportation network and promote cooperation in the industrial and energy sectors within the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region.

Before any discussion of administrative integration, Ulsan City made it clear that it is necessary to transfer self-governing legislative power, taxation rights, and authority over industry and regional development equivalent to those of U.S. federal states.

Mayor Kim Dookyum asserted that administrative integration must be based on citizen consent, and that a deliberative committee would be formed to proceed with a full review only if a credible public opinion survey confirms more than 50% agreement.

Ulsan City plans to consistently present the principles of authority delegation and respect for citizen choice in discussions with the central government and relevant cities and provinces.