Kim Taeheum: "Deferral of Special Act on South Chungcheong-Daejeon Integration... This Hasty Bill Must Be Scrapped"

Chu Mi-ae: "Mayors, governor, and councils oppose it... public support among citizens is not high"
Governor Kim: "Deferral is only a stopgap... complete withdrawal is the answer"

Kim Taeheum

On February 24, South Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Taeheum stated regarding the deferral of the tabling of the "Special Act on Administrative Integration of South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon" at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee that "what is needed is not a deferral of tabling, but the complete withdrawal of the bill."

In a statement released that day, Governor Kim said, "The Democratic Party decided today to defer the bill's tabling at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee and to discuss it at a later date," adding, "With this, I consider the administrative integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province to be effectively scrapped."

He went on to say, "A deferral is nothing more than a stopgap measure," and demanded, "This hasty bill must be scrapped immediately."

He continued, "However, I am worried about what other tricks the Democratic Party might pull in handling the bill going forward," adding, "I will keep my eyes wide open and watch until the very end."

Chu Mi-ae, the chairperson of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee who presided over the meeting that day, said, "In Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, the mayors, the governor, and the city and provincial councils oppose the integration, and public support among citizens is not high."

This is interpreted as pointing out that there is insufficient consensus within the region and insufficient backing from public opinion, which are preconditions for pushing the bill forward.

Governor Kim stressed, "We cannot accept integration talks that exclude the will of the residents of the province," and added, "Legislation without sufficient public debate and consensus must be halted."

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the same day decided to defer the tabling of the "Special Act on Administrative Integration of South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon" and to continue additional discussions in the future. Whether the bill will be passed is expected to be decided again depending on negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties and trends in local public opinion.