Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok: "Gimpo's Incorporation into Seoul is a Political Show"... A Rebuke to the People Power Party

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party strongly criticized the proposal to incorporate Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province into Seoul, which is being promoted as party policy, calling it a "political show with no feasibility."

At a press conference held at Incheon City Hall on the 6th, Mayor Yoo said, "Ahead of the election, irresponsible remarks are being made based on parliamentary omnipotence without legal grounds or realistic review," and pointed out, "It is a political engineering approach that only causes public conflict and confusion, and nothing more than a political show."

He continued, "Reforming the local administrative system has a significant impact on residents' lives and requires the consent and cooperation of various stakeholders, so active public opinion gathering and consensus building are essential," adding, "The claim to incorporate Gimpo City into Seoul has not been properly reviewed and lacks public consensus; it is merely political engineering populism."

Mayor Yoo assessed that under the Local Autonomy Act, the consent of both the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Gyeonggi Provincial Council is required for Gimpo's incorporation into Seoul, but due to strong opposition, passage is difficult. He also noted that pursuing legal amendments through member legislation in the National Assembly is unlikely given the minority ruling party's seat structure.

He further criticized, "Raising this issue five months before the election in an 'either way' manner is irresponsible and only causes public confusion," and said, "This incorporation plan was made without consultation with any local government and has not been reviewed from the perspectives of capital defense or financial support." He added, "The proposal to incorporate Gimpo, which is half the size of Seoul, into Seoul could accelerate the concentration in Seoul," emphasizing, "We must not become a 'Seoul Metropolitan Republic' that goes against the promotion of the local era."

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is issuing a statement on the incorporation of Gimpo City, Gyeonggi Province into Seoul City, which is being promoted as the party line of the People Power Party, at the city hall briefing room on the 6th.
[Photo by Incheon City]

When asked whether there had been prior discussions with the People Power Party leadership before announcing his position, Mayor Yoo briefly replied, "No." Regarding some claims that Gimpo City is using the fourth landfill site of the Seoul Metropolitan Area Landfill as a 'card' for incorporation into Seoul, he firmly stated, "The issue of the Seoul Metropolitan Area Landfill should be discussed based on consultations among the four-party consultative body including Incheon City and Seoul City, and should not be linked to the unrealistic proposal of Gimpo's incorporation into Seoul."

Earlier, Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo sparked controversy by stating in a recent media interview, "Since the fourth landfill site of the Seoul Metropolitan Area Landfill is on Gimpo land, if Gimpo City is incorporated into Seoul, the waste problem can be solved."

The People Power Party decided on the 30th of last month to promote the incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul as party policy and announced follow-up measures such as enacting a special law at the party level and forming a separate promotion organization.

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