[Breaking] Special Law on Integrated Metropolitan City for South Jeolla and Gwangju Passes Judiciary Committee...Heads to Plenary Session

Choo Miae, chairperson of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, is presenting an agenda item at the committee's plenary meeting on the 24th. Yonhap News

A special law to establish an integrated metropolitan city for South Jeolla Province and Gwangju passed the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 24th. The bill is expected to be introduced at the plenary session later in the afternoon. In contrast, special laws for the integration of South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon, and of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province were not handled on this day.

The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a plenary meeting and passed the special law with 11 votes in favor and 7 abstentions out of 18 members present. Lawmakers from the People Power Party expressed their opposition during the voting process and did not participate in the show-of-hands vote, and as a result, their votes were counted as abstentions.

A revision to the Local Autonomy Act that includes the legal basis for special provisions on administrative integration was also taken up. This amendment was handled under the leadership of the broader pro-government bloc after all committee members from the People Power Party walked out.

If the special law passes the plenary session and is promulgated, the head of the integrated local government will be elected in the local elections in June, after which procedures to launch the integrated metropolitan city will proceed in July.