The National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee has approved three special laws for administrative integration in specific regions despite the opposition party's absence from the vote, citing political motives.
On December 12, the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee convened to pass three special laws aimed at administrative integration in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Jeonnam-Gwangju, and Chungnam-Daejeon regions. The ruling party, People Power Party, boycotted the vote, labeling the special laws as politically motivated for the local elections. Major legislator Yoon Geon-young, from the Democratic Party, expressed disappointment over the opposition's absence despite a purported consensus on the integration laws, signalling a potential for bipartisan cooperation that has now been undermined.
The bills approved unanimously outlined significant changes to the governance structure for the integrated municipalities. Among the key proposals is the elevation of the mayoral position of the newly formed cities to a ministerial level, with deputy mayors being designated as vice-ministerial. The number of deputy mayors is set to increase from two to four. Additionally, provisions were included to allow local governments to issue bonds beyond established limits in certain circumstances and facilitate tax reductions for developmental projects. Measures have also been incorporated to protect civil servants from potential disadvantages stemming from administrative reallocation.
In a related development, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited the office of the Administrative Safety Committee chairman to emphasize the urgency of passing these laws by the end of February to enable the launch of the integrated local government on July 1. This underlines the legislative timeline's importance in ensuring that regional administrations are effectively coordinated and functional in response to the administrative integration efforts.
