Oh Se-hoon and Gimpo Mayor Agree to Form 'Seoul Incorporation Joint Research Team'

40-Minute Meeting at Seoul City Hall Mayor's Office

On the 6th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo to discuss the incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul. At this meeting, the two mayors agreed to form a 'Joint Research Team for the Incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul' and a 'Task Force for Improving Quality of Life in the Same Living Area' composed of internal and external experts from both Seoul and Gimpo.

Mayor Oh held a 40-minute meeting at 2 p.m. in his office at Seoul City Hall. This meeting was arranged at the suggestion of Mayor Kim.

Kim Byung-su, Mayor of Gimpo City, is greeting Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, at Seoul City Hall on the 6th before discussing the incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

During the meeting, Mayor Kim expressed that if Gyeonggi Province were divided north and south, Gimpo would become an 'island without being an island,' isolated from any neighboring areas. He suggested that incorporating Gimpo into Seoul, which is geographically close and shares a closely connected living area, could lead to mutual growth and synergy effects. He also explained the expected benefits of Gimpo's incorporation into Seoul, such as the development of the West Coast port and expanded use of the Han River, and raised local issues including the extension of Subway Line 5 and water transportation.

Mayor Oh advised Mayor Kim that beyond policy proposals, it is necessary to conduct precise and objective analyses and to sufficiently explain in advance the concerns of Gimpo citizens.

The two cities agreed to form a 'Joint Research Team for the Incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul' to conduct in-depth research on the effects and impacts of Gimpo's incorporation into Seoul.

Separately, Seoul plans to comprehensively study ways to enhance not only Seoul’s but also the nation’s competitiveness by analyzing the impact on citizens’ quality of life from multiple perspectives.

Seoul will establish a separate 'Task Force for Improving Quality of Life in the Same Living Area (T/F)' composed of internal and external experts to promote integrated research on the incorporation of Gimpo and surrounding cities.

Mayor Oh emphasized, "The most important aspect in the process of incorporating Gimpo City into Seoul is 'the opinions of the citizens,'" adding, "Discussions must proceed based on the consensus and agreement of both Gimpo and Seoul citizens."

He also stated, "Regardless of the incorporation discussions, the close metropolitan cooperation system for securing global competitiveness, which Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon have collaborated on so far, must continue in the future."

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