Kim Dong-yeon Officially Requests Government for Resident Referendum on Establishing Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province on the 26th

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (left) is taking a commemorative photo with Yeom Jong-hyun, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, after requesting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the 26th to hold a referendum for the establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province.

On the 26th, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon officially requested the implementation of a residents' referendum, a legal procedure for enacting the special law to establish the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, by consecutively meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Seoul Office and Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Governor Kim held a private meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the same day to explain the background of promoting the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province and conveyed the wishes of Gyeonggi residents for the establishment of the northern special self-governing province.

Before meeting with Prime Minister Han, Governor Kim met with Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and said, "This involves separating 10 out of the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province. In a way, it is about giving up vested interests, so it is not an easy path for us," adding, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Council has united in consensus regardless of party lines. Since the first step is the residents' referendum, please review it carefully, and we hope for a quick and favorable outcome."

He further emphasized, "This initiative is being pursued not only for the development of northern Gyeonggi but also with the overall growth potential of the Republic of Korea and national development in mind," and added, "It is not just about the development of northern Gyeonggi but will have an effect on the economic growth of the entire country."

Yeom Jong-hyun, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, who was also present at the meeting, said, "In this new era, Governor Kim Dong-yeon sincerely proposed this topic, and the aspirations of the northern residents have grown significantly," adding, "When I attended the National Council of Chairpersons of Provincial Councils last December, I also made a proposal to the President. We hope this will be a good start," requesting the implementation of the residents' referendum.

In response, Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety replied, "Since Gyeonggi Province is historically, economically, and socially very important, we will carefully examine the national policy implications of dividing the province into north and south, whether there is sufficient consensus within Gyeonggi Province, and what impact it may have on other provinces."

The request for a residents' referendum is the first administrative procedure for establishing the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province. Following Gyeonggi Province's request, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will review the procedure for collecting residents' opinions. The procedures for collecting residents' opinions include a residents' referendum or hearing opinions from local councils.

Gyeonggi Province holds the position that, as this is the first case in the country involving the division of a metropolitan autonomous province at the provincial level, a residents' referendum should be conducted for all residents of the province. Gyeonggi Province expects that it will take more than 3 to 4 months from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's review to the implementation of the residents' referendum and has requested the ministry to make a decision as quickly as possible.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province plans to focus its administrative capabilities by cooperating organically with the National Assembly, central government agencies, the provincial council, and cities and counties to ensure that the three bills on the ‘Special Act on the Establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province,’ currently pending in the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, are passed before the expiration of the 21st National Assembly's term, emphasizing that the residents' referendum must be held by January next year.

The Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province is Governor Kim's flagship pledge.

On the 25th, Governor Kim held a vision proclamation ceremony for the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province and stated, "If we proceed with a total of 213.5 trillion won in infrastructure investment and private capital attraction plans over 17 years from 2024 to 2040 through the establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, it can raise South Korea's economic growth rate by an average of 0.31 percentage points annually."

Regarding the establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, Governor Kim announced at a press conference in March that the goal is to launch it on July 1, 2026.

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