Lee Jangwoo and Kim Taeheum: "Firmly Opposed to Dependent Local Autonomy Where Central Government Allocates Privileges and Budgets"

"Special Law Must Clearly Stipulate the Transfer of Central Fiscal and Regulatory Authority, Reflecting the President's Strong Will for Local Autonomy"
Bipartisan Special Committee Needed to Discuss the Integration Special Bill Together

From the left, Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province, and Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon (Photo by Mo Seokbong)

Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, and Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province, stated in relation to the administrative integration of Daejeon and Chungnam, "We are firmly opposed to a dependent form of local autonomy in which the central government allocates special privileges and budgets."

On the morning of January 21 at 10:30 a.m., Lee Jangwoo and Kim Taeheum met at Daejeon City Hall and said, "The government's announcement on January 16 is nothing more than an extension of dependent local autonomy, where the central government distributes special privileges and budgets. In terms of the fundamental aspect of balanced regional development, it is nothing but hypocrisy and falsehood," adding, "The integration of Daejeon and Chungnam must include the transfer of advanced autonomous powers and fiscal authority."

The two regional leaders stated, "Administrative integration is a process of national reform looking ahead to the next 100 years. It should proceed through bipartisan discussions, and we cannot accept a bill that is led primarily by the Democratic Party," and added, "A decisive action by the President is needed for balanced national development, and we urge the formation of a bipartisan special committee to discuss the special integration bill together."

From the left, Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province, and Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon (Photo by Mo Seokbong)

The two leaders emphasized, "Genuine local autonomy, which should look ahead to the next 100 years of Korea, has disappeared, and instead, a competitive structure among regions has been created, as if it were a government-sponsored project," adding, "The local autonomy of the Daejeon-Chungnam Special City must be completed through the authority of the region, not as a favor from the central government."

They also stated, "The Prime Minister's plan to support administrative integration lacks specificity and is merely declarative, making it highly inadequate," and argued, "The special law must clearly stipulate the transfer of central fiscal and regulatory authority, reflecting the President's strong will for local autonomy."

The two leaders further said, "Looking at the fiscal aspect, the government's financial support plan for administrative integration is nothing more than a temporary and ineffective measure of a discretionary nature," and strongly urged, "The government's financial support condition of 'up to four years' should be deleted, and as stipulated in the special bill proposed last October, the transfer of capital gains tax, corporate tax, and value-added tax revenues to the Daejeon-Chungnam Special City must be legally mandated."

They continued, "The government said it would grant Daejeon-Chungnam Special City a status equivalent to that of Seoul, but only made a superficial promise to elevate its status, lacking any substantive content," emphasizing, "The authority over organization and personnel must be explicitly stipulated as a special city power in the special bill."

They also stated, "Regarding support for innovation cities, it is only natural that Daejeon and Chungnam, which were excluded from the first round of public institution relocations, should have top priority in the second round," and added, "To ensure effectiveness, the scale of the second round of public institution relocations and the scope of support must be included in the special bill."

From the left, Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province, and Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon (Photo by Mo Seokbong)

In addition, they argued, "Regarding support for the industrial sector, there have been countless government announcements painting rosy pictures, but if the special provisions in the bill proposed last October pass the National Assembly, this issue can be perfectly resolved."

Finally, they emphasized, "To establish Daejeon-Chungnam Special City as an economic and scientific hub comparable to the Seoul metropolitan area, it is necessary to exempt preliminary feasibility studies, grant special provisions for research and development zones, lift designations of agricultural promotion areas, designate national industrial complexes, and transfer authority over greenbelt zones," adding, "These points were not confirmed in the government's announcement, and both the government and the National Assembly must not overlook these critical issues."