A coalition of Gwangju citizens' groups has staged a protest against the government's unilateral administrative integration, demanding greater citizen input in the decision-making process.
Citizens' groups from Gwangju have expressed strong opposition to the government and political parties' one-sided administrative integration efforts, citing a lack of public consultation. On September 9, the newly formed 'Gwangju-Jeonnam Citizen Society Response Team for the Completion of Autonomy and Administrative Integration' visited the National Assembly and the presidential office to protest the negligence of citizen opinions in the legal framework being established for the integration. They participated in a legislative hearing related to the proposed law for establishing a special city of Jeonnam-Gwangju, articulating their concerns over the legislative process which they deem unjust.
During the legislative public hearing held by the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, one of the participants, Kiwook Lee, the secretary general of the Gwangju Citizens' Groups Council, voiced the need for a more structured democratic discourse surrounding the administrative integration, suggesting that while some in the political sphere are calling for a swift process, the risks involved should also be carefully addressed. He criticized the political authorities for hosting only superficial public hearings that enumerate the benefits of administrative integration without genuinely engaging with citizen demands for a more robust democratic discussion.
The citizen groups further raised alarms regarding potential loose regulations that could arise from the integration, such as the expansion of 'development restricted areas,' which they argue may invite excessive and uncontrolled development. Despite submitting numerous suggestions to the government and local authorities over several months, the opinions presented by civic representatives have not been incorporated into the proposed Democratic Party’s legislative initiatives. They emphasize the need for checks against the powers of a potentially overly authoritative special mayor, mechanisms to prevent the over-issuance of municipal bonds, and a demand for reform to existing audit exemptions for the central government corporations involved in the integration process.
