"Without Electoral Reform, Administrative Integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Will Create an Imperial-Style Chief Executive"...Appeal by 180 Democratic Figures

Participation by Kim Taeil, Won Yoosul, Lee Jungwoo, and Others

On February 23, about 180 figures from the Daegu and North Gyeongsang region declared their opposition, stating, "Administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang without electoral reform would be a disaster."

Through an "Appeal to the President and the National Assembly" released that day, they called for a halt to the administrative integration and urged the strengthening of local councils, reform of election laws, and the institutionalization of citizens' participatory self-governance, warning that "if integration proceeds as it is, there is a high possibility that an imperial-style chief executive will emerge."

Daegu Chamyeo Yeondae

The figures from Daegu and North Gyeongsang said, "The administrative integration plan for Daegu and North Gyeongsang is awaiting a vote at the plenary session of the National Assembly, and on June 3 a unified chief executive is scheduled to be elected in the local elections. We are deeply concerned that the administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang is being pushed forward at high speed without proper procedures, and that a kind of fantasy is being created that integration is unconditionally good."

They continued, "The administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang is supposed to enhance the region's innovation capacity by receiving more power and more resources from the central government. But what is the regional reality? A 'powerful chief executive, a nominal local council, and a weak civil society' is the reality of our region's decision-making structure," and added, "What do you think will happen if we hand over enormous money and power into this structure? The emergence of an 'imperial-style chief executive' is as plain as day. In particular, given the regrettable reality in which the chief executive and the council are engaged in political inbreeding, that cannot be anything other than a catastrophe."

They also stated, "We must democratically reform the power structure of the local community so that the greater authority and greater resources created through administrative integration can actually lead to an enhancement of regional innovation capacity. There must be mechanisms to control the powers of the unified chief executive, and the authority of local councils must be strengthened," and added, "We need to reform the local electoral system so that political diversity, representativeness, and democracy are reflected in the representative system. The electoral system must be reformed, including introducing a runoff system for the chief executive, expanding proportional representation seats in metropolitan councils to at least 30%, and introducing multi-member constituencies at the basic local government level. Above all, we must expand citizens' participatory self-governance and strengthen grassroots basic self-governance. Only then will the purpose of administrative integration be properly realized."

Through the appeal, regional figures urged, "Do you want the 20 trillion won in fiscal support and the transfer of authority through various special measures to become 'a bouquet offered to local vested interests'? If instead you want it to lead to an enhancement of regional innovation capacity, pursue administrative integration together with political reform."

This appeal was proposed by Kim Minnam (Professor Emeritus at Kyungpook National University), Kim Yoonsang (Endowed Professor at Kyungpook National University), Kim Taeil (Co-representative of the National Current Affairs Council), Noh Jinchul (Head of the Daegu Environmental Movement Federation), Park Seunghee (Director of the Daegu Social Research Institute), Eom Changok (Co-representative of Daegu Chamyeo Yeondae), Oh Kyuseop (Senior Pastor of Neighbour Church), Won Yoosul (Co-representative of the Association of Veterans of the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Democratization Movement), Lee Sangryong (Chairman of the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Democratization Movement Succession Project Association), Lee Jungwoo (former policy chief at the Blue House under the Roh Moo-hyun administration), and Choi Bongtae (Advisor to the Daegu Citizens' Constitution School), and was joined by about 160 other regional figures.