Over 100 Bills Related to Regional Balance... Proposed Mainly by Ruling Party Lawmakers

Relocation of National Assembly to Sejong, Amendment to National Assembly Act
Bill to Establish 'Gyeonggi Bukbu Province' Also Proposed

[Asia Economy Reporter Won Dara] The Democratic Party of Korea is rapidly proposing bills related to regional balance, including a bill to make Sejong Special Self-Governing City the administrative capital. If all these bills pass, the National Assembly is expected to relocate to Sejong City, and a new Gyeonggi Northern Province will be established.

According to the National Assembly's legislative information system on the 24th, about 100 bills related to regional balance have been proposed within two months since the start of the 21st National Assembly. This is a significant number compared to about 300 bills proposed over four years in the 20th National Assembly. Among them, Democratic Party lawmakers, who launched the Administrative Capital Completion Special Committee Task Force (TF) and are driving the administrative capital relocation, are focusing on proposing related bills.

Assemblyman Hong Seong-guk proposed an amendment to the National Assembly Act to establish the National Assembly Sejong Chamber in Sejong City, stating, "The frequent trips of public officials residing in the Government Sejong Complex to the National Assembly are lowering the quality of policies." Along with Assemblyman Hong, 80 ruling party lawmakers signed as co-sponsors. The amendment adds a clause stating, "The National Assembly shall have its chamber in Sejong City."

Assemblyman Kang Jun-hyun proposed a bill to extend the payment deadline of the ordinary local allocation tax, which has been granted to Sejong City to cover fiscal revenue shortfalls, from the original 2020 to 2030. Kang also proposed a bill to delete the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family from the list of agencies excluded from relocation to the Administrative City, noting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family have been excluded from the list of agencies subject to relocation.

A bill to establish a new province was also proposed. Assemblyman Kim Min-cheol from Gyeonggi Province proposed the "Act on the Establishment of Gyeonggi Buk-do," which separates the northern region of Gyeonggi Province to create Gyeonggi Northern Province. Kim explained the reason for the proposal, saying, "As of May 2020, the population of Gyeonggi Province exceeded 13.32 million, and the population of the northern Gyeonggi region exceeded 3.91 million. Administrative demand due to population growth is explosively increasing, but due to Gyeonggi Province's geographical conditions, prompt administrative services are not being provided."

Proposals to foster underdeveloped metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas have been centered on employment and tax benefits. Assemblyman Kim Seong-won proposed a bill to exempt border areas from the Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act and allow development. Assemblyman Han Byung-do pointed out that among 228 cities, counties, and districts nationwide, 97 (42.5%) are at risk of extinction, proposing a bill to designate these areas as population decline crisis zones and provide tax benefits of 5% to 10% to companies investing in these areas. Multiple bills have also been proposed by electoral districts to upgrade district courts to high courts.

Assemblyman Kim Yoon-duk proposed a bill to raise the mandatory local talent recruitment rate in public institutions to 40%. The existing government plan was 30% until 2022, and a previously proposed bill by Assemblyman Park Young-soon set the mandatory recruitment rate at about 35%. Assemblyman Seo Dong-yong proposed a bill to mandate that medical and pharmaceutical universities and law schools select a certain percentage of their total admissions from graduates of local high schools or regional universities. The purpose is to expand the regional medical infrastructure while increasing employment opportunities for local talent.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.