"Jeonnam Naju Yeongsanpo Area 3 Neighborhoods Transition to 'Eup'"

Shin Jeong-hoon Introduces Local Autonomy Act Amendment Bill as Lead Sponsor

Assemblyman Shin Jeong-hoon

Shin Jeong-hoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, representing Naju·Hwasun), announced on the 8th that he has taken the lead in proposing a partial amendment to the Local Autonomy Act to convert three neighborhoods (Yeonggang, Yeongsan, and Ichang-dong) in the Yeongsanpo area of Naju City, Jeollanam-do, into towns (eup).

Before the introduction of the concept of urban-rural complex cities in 1995, many rural fishing and farming areas were promoted to cities, resulting in the conversion of towns (eup) and townships (myeon) into neighborhoods (dong). However, such administrative district conversions have been carried out without sufficiently considering regional characteristics, leading to the decline of old downtown areas, accelerated population outflow, regional imbalances, and even the crisis of local extinction.

In fact, Naju City in Jeollanam-do saw a sharp population decline after the promotion of Naju-eup and Yeongsanpo-eup to Geumseong City in 1981, when Yeongsanpo-eup (with a population of 24,316 at the time) was converted into Yeonggang-dong, Yeongsan-dong, and Ichang-dong. As of the end of last year, the combined population of these three neighborhoods was only 8,751.

The amendment to the Local Autonomy Act, proposed by Representative Shin, clearly defines the criteria for converting neighborhoods (dong) into towns (eup) in rural fishing and farming areas, aiming to minimize administrative confusion in rural areas and establish a legal foundation to respond to local extinction.

Representative Shin said, “Until now, the conversion of eup, myeon, and dong without considering regional characteristics has made it difficult for rural residents to maintain their existing lifestyles and economic characteristics. If the amendment is passed, it will not only restore the cohesion of damaged local communities but also strengthen autonomous capabilities suited to regional characteristics, enabling local areas to develop more vibrantly.”

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