All Daegu Lawmakers in Favor, Some Opposition in North Gyeongsang
The People Power Party announced on February 26 that, after collecting opinions from local lawmakers (12 from Daegu and 13 from North Gyeongsang Province) regarding the internal strife over the administrative integration of the Daegu-North Gyeongsang (TK) region, a majority of the lawmakers expressed support. Attention is now focused on whether the embers of the TK integration initiative will be rekindled.
On the morning of the same day, the People Power Party held a closed-door vote in the National Assembly among TK-area lawmakers on the special act for TK integration. As party infighting intensified, with calls for the party leadership to take responsibility over the Legislative and Judiciary Committee’s decision to put the special act on hold, the party moved to formally gather opinions.
The 12 Daegu lawmakers, without holding a separate vote, unanimously agreed to request that the special act be put to a vote. Lawmaker Kwon Youngjin told reporters, “We asked the leadership to handle it during this session together with the Gwangju-South Jeolla special act.”
The North Gyeongsang lawmakers went through a secret ballot procedure. The result showed that more lawmakers were in favor of processing the special act. Gu Jagun, the provincial party chair, told reporters immediately after the meeting, “Lawmakers from the northern part of North Gyeongsang Province (their constituencies) strongly voiced their opposition, but in the end a decision was made in favor,” adding, “We conveyed to the leadership that, once a conclusion is reached regarding the integration act, we want them to take swift action.”
Within the People Power Party, there is no dispute over the broader principle of integration, but the political calculations are complex. In North Gyeongsang Province, there are considerable concerns. One lawmaker from the region said, “If you look at Gunwi County, its population has actually declined since it was incorporated into Daegu.” Lawmakers from northern North Gyeongsang are calling for clearly defined incentives, such as infrastructure development.
Daegu lawmakers are also in favor, but their underlying motives differ. In Daegu, five incumbent lawmakers have already declared their candidacies for the mayoral race. One Daegu-area lawmaker said, “The direction is right, but the substance is lacking.”
With this decision, the spark of TK integration is likely to stay alive for the time being. However, it remains uncertain whether the conflict will be resolved. People Power Party lawmaker Joo Ho-young, who is running for Daegu mayor, has even raised the possibility of leaving the party or resigning his parliamentary seat if administrative integration falls through. In North Gyeongsang Province, prospective gubernatorial candidates such as Kim Jaewon and Choi Kyunghwan are opposed. A party official expressed concern, saying, “We have fallen victim to divide-and-rule tactics by the ruling camp.”
In Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, a fierce blame game is unfolding between the ruling and opposition parties. In the governing Democratic Party of Korea, lawmakers from the Chungcheong region are staging a sit-in protest, demanding that the People Power Party adopt an official party line. The People Power Party, whose incumbent mayors and governors have expressed opposition, has responded by saying they are “opposed to a sham integration.” For these administrative integration bills, the plenary session on March 3 is expected to be the final deadline.
Meanwhile, on the afternoon of the same day, the Democratic Party plans to forcibly end the People Power Party’s filibuster, which will have run for 24 hours, and proceed with a vote on a partial amendment to the Criminal Act (the so-called “distortion of law crime” bill).
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