Daegu Mayoral Candidate Lee Jinsuk Urges Passage of TK Administrative Integration Bill This Session: "Daegu and North Gyeongsang Must Unite as a Community of Shared Destiny"

Lee Jinsuk, a prospective candidate for mayor of Daegu, issued a statement on the integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province on the 26th, urging, "The National Assembly must no longer delay and should pass the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Integration Special Act within the current extraordinary session."

Lee stated, "The launch of the integrated Daegu-North Gyeongsang Metropolitan City is a task of our time that will drive balanced development across the Republic of Korea and connect the future of Daegu and North Gyeongsang as one," adding, "Although it is regrettable that key pending issues of the region have not been fully reflected, this is not a reason to weaken the necessity of integration, but rather a shared responsibility that must be resolved through integration."

Lee Jinsuk, prospective candidate for mayor of Daegu

He also said, "Daegu and North Gyeongsang have shared history, culture, and identity, and in particular, the spirit of challenge and the 'can-do' mindset demonstrated by former President Park Chung-hee are joint assets we have accumulated together," and continued, "Integration must serve to eliminate unnecessary competition and inefficiency caused by administrative boundaries and to create new growth engines."

Lee declared, "The essence of integration lies not in a simple expansion of scale but in the total consolidation of capabilities," and added, "To confront the massive challenges of local extinction, declining youth population, industrial restructuring, and the Seoul metropolitan area's single-core dominance, Daegu and North Gyeongsang must unite as a complete community of shared destiny."

He went on to say, "Although the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee put off passing the special act, citing some opposing views, the local political community today reaffirmed that the Daegu-North Gyeongsang integration must be passed within this extraordinary session," urging, "The National Assembly must no longer delay and should promptly pass the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Integration Special Act."