Mayors from Busan, Gyeongnam, Daejeon, and Chungnam have actively pursued the enactment of a Basic Law for Administrative Integration by submitting a proposal to Cheongwadae. This initiative aims to address the fragmentation of special laws that each local government is pursuing, thus providing a coherent legal framework that applies uniformly across the nation. Their proposal was officially delivered by representatives to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President earlier this week.

In their proposal, the mayors are pushing for clear guidelines and a roadmap at the national level to manage the complexities and potential inefficiencies arising from disparate local regulations. They emphasize the need for greater autonomy and financial decentralization, arguing for the transfer of vital powers such as personnel rights and development approval to merged local governments. The mayors believe that these changes would empower regions to make decisions about their future and facilitate growth.

Additionally, the local leaders stressed that the successful integration of administrative functions is a matter that requires decisive action from the President, urging for an emergency meeting or public conference to discuss solutions collaboratively with Presidents of the involved metropolitan areas. By advocating for such measures, the mayors are signaling the significant role of presidential support in implementing their vision for a more integrated and robust local governance system.