Joint Declaration Adopted to Launch Integrated Local Government for Both Regions,
On the 21st, Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province signed a joint declaration at the former South Chungcheong provincial government building, pushing the integration of administrative districts./News1,
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‘(Daejeon=News1) Reporter Kim Kyung-hoon = Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province have taken steps to promote the integration of administrative districts 35 years after their separation.’,
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, ‘On the 21st, Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum, Daejeon City Council Chairman Jo Won-hwi, and South Chungcheong Provincial Assembly Chairman Hong Seong-hyun signed a joint declaration to launch an “Integrated Local Government” at the former South Chungcheong provincial government building.’,
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, ‘Daejeon and South Chungcheong formed a consensus on the need to integrate administrative districts in the Chungcheong region to overcome the capital-centric system and prevent local extinction, and agreed to formalize integration discussions through this joint declaration.’,
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, ‘Through the joint declaration, the two regions will push for the enactment of special legislation to establish an integrated local government and strive to secure substantial authority and functions equivalent to those of a state in a federal system through the transfer of national duties and finances.’,
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, ‘For this purpose, they plan to form a tentative administrative district integration public-private consultative body with equal representation from both regions, prepare integration legislation through the consultative body, and propose it to both regions. They will then gather opinions from the Daejeon and South Chungcheong provincial assemblies and collect public opinions to finalize and promptly promote the integration plan.’,
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, ‘Daejeon and South Chungcheong were separated for 35 years following Daejeon’s elevation to a direct-controlled city in 1989. Despite being part of the same living and economic sphere, they faced challenges such as intensified competition for attracting national projects, redundant investments in industrial ecosystems, difficulties in handling increasing metropolitan administrative tasks, excessive investment, weakened financial capacity of small cities due to population decline, and increased administrative inefficiency.’,
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, ‘The two regions believe that administrative integration will reduce wasteful competition for attracting large-scale national projects and investments and enable a more coordinated response to the demand for metropolitan administration such as transportation networks and public facility construction beyond the boundaries of local governments.’,
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, ‘They also hope to effectively address the inconveniences caused by the mismatch between living areas and administrative districts and improve administrative efficiency through economies of scale.’,
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, ‘In particular, the integration of Daejeon (1.44 million people) and South Chungcheong (2.13 million people) would result in a population of approximately 3.6 million. The synergy between Daejeon’s excellent R&D capabilities and human capital and South Chungcheong’s strong manufacturing base is expected to expand the region’s growth potential and create a metropolitan economic zone comparable to the capital area.’,
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, ‘Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo stated, “Daejeon and South Chungcheong, starting from the same root, must integrate and gain global competitiveness for South Korea to overcome the capital-centric system and move toward the future,” adding, “We will ensure to listen carefully to the opinions of citizens and form a consensus during the integration process.”‘,
, ‘Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum expressed his expectations, stating, “The integration of two regions with the same roots will leap forward as South Korea’s future growth axis and position itself as the nation’s most promising investment area through large-scale central authority transfers in industrial economy and urban development.” \n’]