On the postponement of the special integration act: "Effectively on the brink of collapse"
"A substantive bill is needed that includes fiscal measures and the transfer of authority"
Kim Taeheum, Governor of South Chungcheong Province, held a press conference on the 25th and proposed adjusting the ratio of national taxes to local taxes to 60:40 and establishing a special committee in the National Assembly composed of equal numbers of members from the ruling and opposition parties to oversee the integration of South Chungcheong and Daejeon.
Kim Taeheum, Governor of South Chungcheong Province, on the 25th officially proposed forming a special integration committee in the National Assembly with equal representation from the ruling and opposition parties, stating in relation to the administrative integration of South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon, "For our future, we must achieve a 'genuine integration'."
This is being interpreted as a call to redesign the integration discussion from scratch after its momentum was lost due to the postponement of deliberation in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Governor Kim held a press conference at the provincial government press center that day and expressed regret, saying, "As the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee decided to postpone deliberation on the special act on the integration of South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon and to discuss it at a later date, the administrative integration has in effect reached the brink of collapse."
He then prefaced his remarks by saying that "for administrative integration, the substance is more important than the speed," and presented restructuring of the fiscal framework to secure a self-reliant base after integration as the core task.
Governor Kim stated, "The current 75:25 ratio of national to local taxes must be adjusted to around 60:40 as we are demanding, so that the integrated city can manage its own finances independently."
He continued, "Major powers such as exemptions from preliminary feasibility studies, the transfer of duties from special local administrative agencies, and deemed approvals for development licensing projects must be boldly transferred to the integrated city," and criticized, "However, in the current draft of the special integration act, these core elements are missing and only declaratory language remains."
Governor Kim defined the nature of administrative integration as "not simply a matter of scaling up, but a national overhaul project that lays the cornerstone for local autonomy, decentralization, and balanced development."
He added, "I have repeatedly emphasized that even if it means slightly slowing the integration timeline, we must move in the right direction."
He then proposed, "Even now, the National Assembly should form a special integration committee with equal numbers from the ruling and opposition parties, go through sufficient discussions to draft a substantive integration bill, and decide on the timing and method of implementation."
Governor Kim added, "The political sphere and the administration must identify all the issues that may arise from integration, build local public consensus, and prepare thoroughly."
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