Youth committees of ruling and opposition parties in the Gyeongnam region are showing a stark difference of opinion over the push for administrative integration of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam.
On the 5th, the Gyeongnam Provincial Party Youth Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea held a press conference in the briefing room of the provincial council and urged, "Governor Park Wansu must immediately align with the central government's policy direction and enter into talks on administrative integration."
The Youth Committee of the Gyeongnam Provincial Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea is urging a decision to pursue administrative integration of Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam before the local elections. Provided by the Youth Committee of the Gyeongnam Provincial Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea.
They stated, "Under the Lee Jaemyung administration's strategy of balanced regional development through the 'Five Core Regions and Three Special Zones,' the government has pledged to give priority in the second round of public institution relocations to regions that actually proceed with wide-area administrative integration," adding, "This is not a matter for negotiation but a set rule of competition that has already been decided. Regions that are prepared will secure these opportunities, while regions that delay will be eliminated."
They went on to say, "Insisting that local autonomy and fiscal decentralization must first be guaranteed before holding a resident referendum is clearly an attempt to evade responsibility, and is nothing more than an excuse that shifts the blame for four years of failure to prepare for administrative integration onto the central government and the residents of Gyeongnam."
The Democratic Party's provincial youth committee argued, "A strategy of delaying administrative integration is, in effect, a strategy that will cause Gyeongnam to be eliminated from the competition," and insisted, "If a decision is not made now, the second round of public institution relocations will go to other regions, and at that moment, the future of young people in Gyeongnam will disappear irreversibly."
People Power Party's Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Youth Committee and University Student Committee are announcing their position regarding the push for administrative integration of Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam. Reporter Lee Seryeong
That afternoon, the Youth Committee and University Committee of the People Power Party's Gyeongnam Provincial Committee also held a press conference in the provincial council briefing room and declared, "We firmly oppose any attempt to consume administrative integration as a tool for political strife or as a local election strategy."
The People Power Party's provincial youth and university committees said, "Calls for rapid implementation represent an irresponsible approach that reduces the grave national task of administrative integration to a mere slogan for local elections," and added, "Administrative integration is not an issue to be rammed through with fear-based marketing that claims the opportunity will be lost if it is not done immediately."
They continued, "If it is pushed forward in a hasty manner, with a specific timing such as the local elections in mind and without sufficient review or social consensus, the outcome will not be success but clear confusion and derailment."
They further stressed, "If you are going to talk about integration, you must clearly answer how Gyeongnam's administrative leadership will be guaranteed, to what extent fiscal autonomy will be secured, and who will hold policy decision-making authority. After first presenting a concrete and responsible plan for the post-integration administrative structure, allocation of powers, and fiscal management, this issue must be decided directly by the residents of Gyeongnam through a mandatory resident referendum."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
