Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu: "Administrative Integration Willingness Unchanged, Prioritizing City and Province Residents' Consensus"

"Busan Incorporation of Gimhae and Yangsan, Poor Families Competing Against Each Other"

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, reiterated his commitment to administrative integration with Busan.

At a press conference held at the provincial government press center on the 16th, Governor Park said, “As governor, my will for administrative integration with Busan remains unchanged.”

Regarding the claim by some Busan-area lawmakers to incorporate Gimhae and Yangsan into Busan to form the so-called Mega City Busan, he criticized it as “like poor families fighting over scraps.”

Governor Park stated, “The incorporation of Gimpo into Seoul and the administrative district changes in Gyeongnam are different in their circumstances,” adding, “Seoul and Gyeonggi are huge autonomous entities with growing populations, but even if you combine the populations of Busan and Gyeongnam, it is less than half of Gyeonggi’s population, and the population is declining.”

“In the process of population decline, a mega city formed by one local government incorporating a certain area of another local government is meaningless,” he said. “I believe administrative integration with Busan will be an alternative to establish a bipolar system to counter the unipolarization of the metropolitan area.”

“While I will continue to promote integration with Busan as governor, just as marriage cannot be forced, administrative integration cannot be achieved by the will of city and provincial governors alone,” he added. “We will continue related promotions with Busan, and once a consensus among city and provincial residents is formed and the integration atmosphere matures, we will proceed in earnest.”

Governor Park also conveyed that he had several phone conversations with Cho Kyung-tae, Chairman of the People Power Party’s New City Project Special Committee, and that they mutually agreed on forming a mega city through administrative integration between Gyeongnam and Busan.

He said that Chairman Cho plans to visit Gyeongnam Province next week to discuss issues related to administrative integration.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is smiling while talking with reporters at a press conference.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

Regarding the special law on the establishment and operation of the Space Aviation Agency, which he proposed last April but has yet to pass the National Assembly, Governor Park said, “It is very regrettable.”

He analyzed, “Whether it is the People Power Party or the Democratic Party, there are no longer any disputes over the status or research and development functions assigned in the special law for the Space Aviation Agency,” adding, “The law has not passed due to other political issues.”

He continued, “The People Power Party has made the special law on the Space Aviation Agency the top priority bill to pass in this regular session of the National Assembly,” and predicted, “If the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties reach a final agreement on the bills to be passed, it will not take long.”

“There are remaining plenary session dates on November 23 and 28, and December 1 and 8, but the political situation in the National Assembly continues to change, so I cannot guarantee passage within this year,” he explained. “If it is not passed by December 8, it will have to be postponed to next year.”

During his visit to the National Assembly on Monday, the 20th, he plans to meet with Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, to request cooperation for the passage of the special law on the Space Aviation Agency.

Governor Park viewed the integration of Gyeongsang National University and Changwon National University positively.

He said, “If Gyeongsang National University and Changwon National University merge, it will be desirable in terms of university competitiveness,” and added, “I will actively work on this once the issue of appointing the president of Changwon National University is resolved.”

Regarding the financial losses incurred from terminating the implementation agreement related to Gyeongnam Robot Land and paying 160 billion won to the private operator, he stated that the decision on whether to claim damages will depend on the investigation results.

When asked about the possibility of mediation to withdraw the 47 billion won damage compensation lawsuit filed by Hanwha Ocean against subcontractor unions for a long-term strike last year, he replied, “Hanwha Ocean’s opinion is important,” and added, “I will discuss this matter with the Social Integration Committee, and if there is a role for the governor to play, I will fulfill it.”

Governor Park said, “Gyeongnam Province’s economic indicators are steadily rising, and this year, the province has been selected for the most government public projects, bringing good news continuously,” and added, “Although there may be shortcomings and areas needing improvement in provincial administration, I will continue to strive to create a vibrant economy and ensure that residents live safe and happy lives.”

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