Kim Dong-yeon "Request to Government for Resident Referendum on Establishing Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province within This Month"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon appeared at the Gyeonggi Provincial Council's administrative inquiry on the 6th and responded to the council members' questions.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced that he will request a referendum from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety within this month to establish the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province.

On the 6th, during a provincial government inquiry at the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, Kim Dong-yeon responded to a question from Lee Yong-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Paju 3), asking, "What efforts are you making legislatively for the launch of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province?" He said, "I have had various informal communications with the National Assembly regarding this issue."

He specifically explained, "I have had several discussions with Democratic Party lawmakers, and beyond party lines, I have held multiple seminars and public hearings with Gyeonggi Northern provincial council members and National Assembly members," adding, "Recently, I also discussed this matter with the chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee."

He further stated, "We are currently discussing this issue at the working level with the central government agency, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety," and added, "Our plan is to request a referendum for the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety within this month."

Looking ahead, he said, "The best scenario is to pass the law on this issue before the end of the 21st National Assembly," and predicted, "If we request the referendum for the establishment of the Northern Special Autonomous Province from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety within this month, we expect it will take about three months, so the referendum could be held early next year."

He continued, "Of course, we need to see how the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reviews our request and what response they provide, but to pass this issue into law during the 21st National Assembly, the referendum must be completed by February 9th at the latest," emphasizing, "Our current plan is to proceed in accordance with that timeline."

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