Chairman Lee Hoseong and Council Members Lim Hyunsoo, Kim Bongseong, Park Ssangbae, and Lim Yuntaek Stage Head-Shaving Protest
Ho-sung Lee, Chairman of the Muan County Council, along with council members Hyunsoo Lim, Bongseong Kim, Ssangbae Park, and Yuntaek Lim, have shaved their heads in protest.
The Muan County Council in South Jeolla Province strongly opposed and called for the immediate withdrawal of the "three government buildings without a main office" agreement reached during discussions on the administrative integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla.
On January 27, the Muan County Council held a press conference on the lawn of the South Jeolla Provincial Government building, expressing "not only deep regret but also strong anger" over the administrative integration agreement announced that day, and directly denounced South Jeolla Governor Kim Yungrok.
According to the council, Governor Kim stated during a meeting with Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijung and others that the name of the integrated municipality would be "Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City," abbreviated as "Gwangju Special City," and that government buildings would be distributed across eastern South Jeolla, Muan, and Gwangju, but that no main office would be designated.
In response, the council argued, "Although there was a provisional agreement at the third meeting held on January 25 to designate the main office as the South Jeolla Provincial Government in Muan, overturning this and changing the position to 'the main office is at the discretion of the special mayor' is a denial of the core principles of coexistence and balanced development that underpin integration."
The council also criticized, "Governor Kim Yungrok of South Jeolla cannot avoid responsibility for betraying the trust of the province's residents and the people of Muan," and added, "Handling the main office issue ambiguously is a textbook example of a hasty administrative integration."
Lee Hoseong, Chairman of the Muan County Council, is reading a press conference statement saying that the agreement on the three government buildings without the main office should be withdrawn after the head-shaving ceremony.
At the press conference, Chairman Lee Hoseong, along with council members Lim Hyunsoo, Kim Bongseong, Park Ssangbae, and Lim Yuntaek, staged a head-shaving protest to express their strong opposition. The council stated, "This head-shaving protest is the last warning from the residents to protect the South Jeolla Provincial Government and Muan," and declared, "Unless the agreement on three government buildings without a main office is withdrawn, we will intensify our struggle."
The council further emphasized, "Muan, where the South Jeolla Provincial Government is located, is not only the administrative center encompassing all 22 cities and counties in the province, but also a region that has borne enormous sacrifices, such as the relocation of the military airport. Confirming the main office as the South Jeolla Provincial Government in Muan is the minimum standard of justice and fairness."
Through the press conference, they strongly urged: ▲ The main office must be confirmed as the South Jeolla Provincial Government; ▲ The administrative center and authority structure must be clearly disclosed; ▲ The location of the South Jeolla Provincial Government and the council must be explicitly stipulated in the special law on Gwangju-South Jeolla integration.
Lee Hoseong, Chairman of the Muan County Council, stated, "What we are trying to protect is not just a single government building, but the pride of South Jeolla and the future of Muan," and vowed, "The Muan County Council will fight to the end together with the residents until the South Jeolla Provincial Government in Muan is officially confirmed as the main office and the seat of the council."
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