"De Facto Non-Capital Region"...Local Governments with Capital Region Population Decline Urge Inclusion in 'Opportunity Development Zones'

Yeoncheon, Gapyeong, Ganghwa, and Ongjin Counties, "Exclusion from Opportunity Development Zone Designation is Reverse Discrimination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Yeoncheon, Gapyeong, Ganghwa, and Ongjin counties have urged the establishment of an exception clause for population-declining areas in the metropolitan area at the county level regarding the designation of Opportunity Development Zones.

These local governments strongly demanded amendments to the bill, stating, "Excluding border areas and population-declining regions from the designation of Opportunity Development Zones simply because they are nominally part of the metropolitan area is reverse discrimination and goes against the government's major national policy of the local era."

On the 12th, Representative Kim Seong-won (Dongducheon·Yeoncheon), Representative Choi Chun-sik (Pocheon·Gapyeong), Representative Bae Jun-young (Jung-gu·Ganghwa·Ongjin), Yeoncheon County Governor Kim Deok-hyun, and Gapyeong County Governor Seo Tae-won held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall, pointing out that "there is a risk of being excluded from the designation of Opportunity Development Zones, which is the core of the special law, simply because they are nominally part of the metropolitan area."

They emphasized, "To realize the local era, a key national agenda of President Yoon Seok-yeol, the bill must be amended to include population-declining areas in the metropolitan area as eligible for designation as Opportunity Development Zones."

Furthermore, they raised their voices, saying, "Since the special law specifies that the scope of Opportunity Development Zones is areas outside the metropolitan area, the four local governments are in a dire situation where they cannot even obtain opportunities for regional development. Despite effectively being non-metropolitan areas, they are again subject to reverse discrimination due to the uniform interpretation under the Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act that classifies them as metropolitan areas."

They reiterated their demand for amendments to the bill, stating, "An exception clause should be created in the special law to provide grounds for designating population-declining areas in the metropolitan area as Opportunity Development Zones."

Earlier, on the 1st of last month, the government approved the 'Special Act on Local Autonomy Decentralization and Regional Balanced Development,' which includes provisions related to the designation and support of Opportunity Development Zones and Education Freedom Zones, at a Cabinet meeting.

Among these, Opportunity Development Zones are designated areas based on consultations between local governments and businesses, applied for by city or provincial governors, and designated and operated through review and resolution by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Local Era Committee).

Individuals or corporations investing in these zones can receive tax reduction benefits as stipulated in the 'Restriction of Special Taxation Act' and the 'Restriction of Local Tax Special Cases Act.'

However, controversy over reverse discrimination surrounding metropolitan local governments like Yeoncheon County, which face the risk of local extinction, continues as the bill excludes the metropolitan area under the amended law from the designation of these zones.

Yeoncheon County Governor Kim Deok-hyun stated, "Opportunity Development Zones will serve as a starting point not only for overcoming the sense of loss among residents of the four local governments who have suffered from overlapping regulations but also for balanced regional development and, furthermore, the realization of the local era, a major national agenda of the government. We urge the government and the National Assembly to make a progressive decision so that these areas are not excluded from national policies addressing population decline and local extinction led by the region."

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