Gunwi-gun to be incorporated into Daegu... Gyeongbuk Provincial Council approves, boosting integrated new airport construction momentum

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin, Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo, and Gunwi County Governor Kim Young-man met with Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, on the 3rd to request the enactment of a bill for the incorporation of Gunwi County into Daegu.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council's approval of Gunwi County's incorporation into Daegu City has given momentum to administrative integration and the construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport.

After Gyeongbuk Province initially proposed the agenda for opinion hearing in early August, the matter was put on hold with "no opinion" for about two months before finally concluding in favor of "integration."

On the 14th, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council held the 2nd plenary session of the 326th extraordinary meeting and approved the Gunwi incorporation plan with 36 votes in favor, 22 against, and 1 abstention. The vote was conducted anonymously by agreement of the chairpersons.

Previously, on the 2nd of last month, the council discussed the same agenda in a plenary session, but both support and opposition were rejected, and the summarized content was sent to Gyeongbuk Province as the council's opinion.

Gyeongbuk Province submitted a "Request for Change of Jurisdiction of Gyeongsangbuk-do" to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, but on the 30th of last month, the ministry replied asking to clarify the council's opinion. Finally, on this day, the approval was granted.

Ko Woo-hyun, chairman of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council, said, "The majority of provincial council members voted in favor, which means that the residents earnestly desire the stable construction of the new airport," adding, "I hope the executive branch conveys the council's opinion well and achieves good results."

Gyeongbuk Province plans to promptly submit supplementary documents and propose the enactment of a bill within the year.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will proceed with drafting the bill, public notice of legislation, review by the Office for Government Policy Coordination, vice minister and Cabinet meetings, and submission of the bill to the National Assembly.

Once the legislative process is completed in the National Assembly, Gunwi's incorporation into Daegu City will be finalized.

The construction of the integrated new airport will also gain momentum. The incorporation of Gunwi was promised by political circles of cities and provinces on July 39 last year, based on the premise of applying for the new airport relocation site.

The new airport is considered the largest single project ever in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, costing 10.5 trillion won for airport construction alone, along with the establishment of a wide-area transportation network including railroads and highways, aviation industry, passenger logistics, and cultural tourism.

Lee Cheol-woo, governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said in a statement on the day, "The basis for the approval decision reflects the stern voice of the residents asking for the smooth progress of the new airport."

Kwon Young-jin, mayor of Daegu City, said, "I deeply appreciate the magnanimous decision for the future of Daegu and Gyeongbuk," adding, "We will promptly complete Gunwi's incorporation and successfully promote the new airport construction project."

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