45% of Gyeonggi Residents Support the Establishment of Gyeonggi Bukdo... 70% Favor 'Prompt Establishment'

3.9 Million Residents in 11 Cities and Counties of Northern Gyeonggi (Including Gimpo) Support 58.4%
Kim Min-cheol (Democratic Party) and Kim Seong-won (People Power Party) Lead 'Northern Gyeonggi Province Establishment Act'
32 Ruling and Opposition Lawmakers Form National Assembly 'Northern Gyeonggi Establishment Task Force'
Lee Jae-myung States, "Division Ignores Practical Constraints" ... Opposes
Yoon Seok-youl Says, "Strengthen Security First, Then Lift Regulations" ... Reviewing Pledge

Representative Kim Min-cheol of the Democratic Party of Korea, who proposed the "Gyeonggi Buk-do Establishment Act" [Office of Representative Kim Min-cheol]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] A survey revealed that 44.6% of Gyeonggi Province residents support the establishment of Gyeonggi Bukdo, and 70% of respondents believe that the establishment should be expedited.

In particular, the approval rate among residents of the 11 cities and counties in northern Gyeonggi (including Gimpo-si) was 58.4%, nearly twice as high as the opposition rate of 28.8%.

In a survey conducted last December by Realmeter commissioned by Congressman Kim Min-cheol (Democratic Party, Uijeongbu-si Eul) targeting Gyeonggi residents, 44.6% responded in favor of establishing Gyeonggi Bukdo, which was 7.3% higher than the 37.3% who opposed it.

Among them, the northern inland areas including Uijeongbu, Yangju, Pocheon, Dongducheon, and Yeoncheon showed a 67.6% approval rate, significantly higher than the opposition.

Seventy percent of respondents answered that "Gyeonggi Bukdo should be established quickly," overwhelmingly surpassing the 28.5% who thought "a gradual establishment is appropriate."

When asked about the gap between northern and southern Gyeonggi regions, 65.2% responded that "there is a difference," and 47.3% cited "balanced development of Gyeonggi Bukdo" as the reason for establishing it.

This indicates that a significant portion of Gyeonggi residents perceive the gap between northern and southern Gyeonggi as serious and recognize the establishment of Gyeonggi Bukdo as a necessary solution.

The survey was conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Congressman Kim Min-cheol’s office, targeting 2,000 eligible voters aged 18 and over residing in Gyeonggi Province, from December 12 to 14, 2021, through an ARS survey. The confidence level is 95% with a sampling error of ±2.2%.

Congressman Kim Min-cheol pointed out, "Northern Gyeonggi has not developed properly due to various regulations and has not been included in national balanced development targets. If this continues, it is clear that the situation will worsen."

He added, "This public opinion survey confirmed that Gyeonggi residents widely recognize the serious gap between the southern and northern regions and that establishing Gyeonggi Bukdo is essential to resolve this gap, further verifying the necessity of establishing Gyeonggi Bukdo."

He also stated, "Based on these survey results, the National Assembly and residents will take concrete actions together to proceed with the procedures for establishing Gyeonggi Bukdo, including cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Gyeonggi provincial government."

Meanwhile, the law regarding the establishment of Gyeonggi Bukdo was first proposed during the 1987 presidential election and has been mentioned in every election for 33 years but has never even reached a standing committee in the National Assembly.

Subsequently, Congressman Kim and Congressman Kim Seong-won of the People Power Party each introduced the "Gyeonggi Bukdo Establishment Act" as a representative bill in June 2020, and in December, the first legislative public hearing was held at the National Assembly’s Administrative Safety Committee.

Additionally, a Gyeonggi Bukdo establishment promotion group consisting of 32 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties was formed, and local governments, local council members, and civic groups launched a nationwide signature campaign.

Lee Jae-myung, former governor of Gyeonggi Province and Democratic Party presidential candidate, expressed a de facto opposition stance during the August primary last year regarding the "separation of Gyeonggi Province" advocated by candidates Lee Nak-yeon and Chung Sye-kyun, stating, "The claim to establish Gyeonggi Bukdo in a rush to gain immediate votes ignores practical constraints."

Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, suggested the possibility of developing northern Gyeonggi during the primary by saying, "We need to strengthen security first and then resolve various regulations," and it is known that he is currently actively reviewing the establishment of Gyeonggi Bukdo as part of his presidential campaign pledges.

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