[News Terms] 'Gyeonggi Bukdo' Pushing for Resident Referendum

'Gyeonggi Bukdo' is the expected name of a new administrative district that would be established if Gyeonggi Province is divided into northern and southern parts. There is much debate over whether to split Gyeonggi Province into north and south, naming the existing southern part 'Gyeonggi Namdo' and the northern part 'Gyeonggi Bukdo,' but currently, Gyeonggi Bukdo appears to be the most likely choice.

If Gyeonggi Bukdo becomes the official name, its abbreviation would be written as 'Gyeongbuk (京北)' or 'Gyeongnam (京南),' which could cause confusion with the already existing 'Gyeongbuk (慶北)' and 'Gyeongnam (慶南)' provinces, as their Korean spellings are identical. Because of this, there is also a possibility that a completely different name might be created.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon visited the Government Seoul Office on the 26th with Yeom Jong-hyun, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, to request the implementation of a resident referendum, a legal procedure for the enactment of the Special Act for the Establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, and took a commemorative photo with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Photo by Gyeonggi Province Provided Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has expressed that the term 'division' has a negative connotation and prefers to use 'Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province' instead of 'Gyeonggi Province division.'

If Gyeonggi Bukdo is established, it will become the tenth province of South Korea. The provincial office is likely to be located in Uijeongbu City, where the current Gyeonggi Provincial Government Northern Office is situated. The administrative districts are expected to include 9 cities and 2 counties: Goyang City, Namyangju City, Paju City, Gimpo City, Uijeongbu City, Yangju City, Guri City, Pocheon City, Dongducheon City, Gapyeong County, and Yeoncheon County. However, Gimpo City might be excluded from Gyeonggi Bukdo.

As of last August, based on resident registration population, the 9 cities and 2 counties planned for division have a population of 4,044,286. The southern Gyeonggi region has a population of 9,580,678. In terms of population size, Gyeonggi Namdo and Gyeonggi Bukdo would rank first and second among provinces, respectively. Among all local governments nationwide, they would rank third after Gyeonggi Namdo and Seoul Special City.

On the 26th, Governor Kim met with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Complex Seoul to officially request the holding of a referendum for the enactment of a special law to establish the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province. During a private meeting with the Prime Minister that morning, Governor Kim explained the background of the initiative 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 Deputy 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 means giving up vested interests, so it is not an easy path for us." He added, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Council, regardless of party lines, has united in agreement. The first step is the referendum, so please review it carefully, and we hope for a swift and positive outcome."

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