Chairman Bae Jinseok of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Administrative Integration Special Committee: "We Will Closely Track Every Step of the Legislative Process"

The Gyeongbuk-Daegu Administrative Integration Special Committee of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council (Chairman Bae Jinseok) held its 4th meeting at 10:30 a.m. on the 23rd in the council’s multipurpose room. The committee reviewed the main contents of the alternative administrative integration bill that recently passed the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, and discussed how the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council should respond going forward.

This meeting was convened to hear a follow-up report from the executive branch on the concerns and demands raised by provincial assembly members at the 3rd meeting and general assembly on January 27, and to prepare swift countermeasures in response to changes in the legislative process at the National Assembly.

Bae Jinseok, Chair of the Special Committee on Gyeongbuk-Daegu Administrative Integration, Gyeongbuk Provincial Council

The executive branch reported that, despite the central government’s position of non-acceptance or calls for revision, key special provisions and elements of the special act have been largely incorporated, increasing the number of articles from the original 335 to 391. It stated that the structure and content of the special act framework for administrative integration have been established to a certain extent.

However, it also stated that it would continue to work to ensure that special provisions which do not yet reflect government-wide initiatives in the fiscal sector and certain local demands are additionally incorporated.

Members of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council special committee, however, pointed out that key special provisions demanded by the residents of Gyeongbuk had been deleted due to government opposition or watered down into merely declarative language. They urged that every effort be made to ensure that these core elements are definitively added during the remaining legislative process.

In particular, they stressed that issues such as exemption from preliminary feasibility studies, which currently act as an obstacle to balanced development in the northern region, as well as underdeveloped area development issues and special provisions for distributed-energy specialized zones, are all essential for regional development after integration. They requested that these be fully reflected in the additional legislative process.

Chairman Bae Jinseok said, "The passage of the alternative bill in the National Assembly marks an important turning point, indicating that the discussion on administrative integration has entered a full-fledged legislative phase," adding, "Now is when the real work begins. Every single word in the bill and every single provision in the enforcement decree will be directly linked to the lives of Gyeongbuk residents and to balanced regional development. Therefore, it will be necessary to play a coordinating role that goes beyond regional gains and losses, and the special committee will closely track every step of the legislative procedure and, through an active role, consistently uphold the position of our residents."