Song Eon-seok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, is holding a press conference on current issues at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 1st (the previous day). March 1, 2026, News1.
On the 2nd, the People Power Party urged an expedited handling of the special law for administrative integration in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, demanding that the Democratic Party immediately end their ‘stalling tactic’ using Daegu and North Gyeongsang as hostages.
Choi Su-jin, the chief spokesperson of the floor, stated in a commentary that “The Democratic Party should immediately stop their ‘excuse relay’ and convene a Judiciary Committee to approve the integration law.”
Spokesperson Choi argued, “The wishes of five million residents are being crushed by the ruling party’s petty ‘stalling tactic.’ Chairman Chu Mi-ae of the Judiciary Committee, affiliated with the Democratic Party, unilaterally withheld the handling of the Daegu-North Gyeongsang administrative integration law using ‘the opposition of Daegu City Council’ as an excuse. However, the council issued a statement of overwhelming support, shattering their flimsy justification.”
Furthermore, she criticized, “With their shield gone, the Democratic Party is now absurdly insisting that ‘the opposition party is lukewarm.’ The People Power Party has already consolidated the opinions of Daegu and North Gyeongsang lawmakers into a party consensus, with the floor leader strongly pressing for swift handling.”
She added, “Democratic Party even brought up the bizarre excuse of ‘being unable to convene the Judiciary Committee because of a filibuster.’ In response, the People Power Party made a significant decision by completely halting the filibuster, which is a legitimate means of opposition, to break the ruling party’s obstinate hold on regional development.”
Chief Spokesperson Choi Su-jin remarked, “Floor Leader Han Byung-do is using elementary councils without jurisdiction as an excuse, telling us to ‘sincerely include a unified proposal.’ The Democratic Party should stop their petty ‘excuse relay’ immediately and convene the Judiciary Committee to pass the integration law. If they once again neglect the wishes of local residents now that all justification is gone, the enraged public in Yeongnam will thoroughly judge their arrogance and hypocrisy.”
People Power Party’s Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon also urged the Democratic Party, stating, “Stop using ‘TK integration obstruction’ as a tool for political strife and process it immediately.”
He commented, “To eliminate the Democratic Party’s excuses, the People Power Party even abruptly halted the filibuster. Both Daegu City and North Gyeongsang Province, and their councils have agreed, and the party consensus is set. The procedural justification is already sufficiently established.”
He emphasized, “Daegu and North Gyeongsang’s administrative integration is not about any specific party’s interests. It is a survival strategy for five million residents, a desperate choice to ease the metropolitan area’s monopoly, cope with industrial restructuring, population decline, and youth outflow. The Democratic Party should stop the wordplay and conditions and should immediately convene the Judiciary Committee and the plenary session to process the special law for the administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang.”
Chief Spokesperson Park stressed, “If the future of a specific region is hindered by the power of the majority, the responsibility will fall entirely on the Democratic Party. The people will surely judge the arrogance and tyranny over trampling the future of five million local residents.”