Jeonnam Province Supports Gwangju-Jeonnam Integration... "Consensus and Opinion Gathering Must Precede"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province stated on the 11th, "We support the administrative district integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam, and a broad consensus and collection of opinions must precede this."

On the same day, a spokesperson for Jeonnam Province said in a statement, "Jeonnam Province sympathizes with and supports the integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam," emphasizing that "Gwangju and Jeonnam are historically, economically, socially, and culturally one root and a joint destiny."

He continued, "The integration of the two cities and provinces could be a solution to the continuously declining population problem, the risk of local extinction, and underdevelopment," explaining, "Jeonnam Province actively tried twice to achieve integration: for three years starting from the first elected government in 1995, and again around 2001 before the construction of the provincial office building, but unfortunately, these efforts failed."

He added, "Learning from these cases, the integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam requires broad consensus and opinion gathering among city and provincial residents, civic and social organizations, and city and provincial councils."

Furthermore, he said, "We hope for wise discussions for the mutual growth and prosperity of Gwangju and Jeonnam."

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