Democratic Party Daegu City Chapter: "TK Administrative Integration Means Creating an Autocratic Mayor"... Repeated Calls for Resident Referendum

The Democratic Party Daegu City Branch criticized on the 21st, stating, "The TK administrative integration lacks citizens and a roadmap."

In a statement released that day, the Democratic Party Daegu City Branch said, "The TK administrative integration agreement being held today in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety meeting room at the government complex is literally an administrative integration plan that soothes only the officials without anything decided. The biggest problem is that there are no citizens and no roadmap. Such administrative integration is nothing more than a second show to cover up citizens' criticism that arose after the harsh verbal exchanges among metropolitan leaders with a temporary fix," it stated.

Democratic Party of Korea Daegu City Party

The Democratic Party Daegu City Branch continued, "Looking at the specific contents, it includes the launch of an integrated autonomous body equivalent to a capital city, transfer of government authority and finances, maintenance of city, county, and district administrative tasks, utilization of government buildings and no setting of jurisdictional areas, ranks and numbers of deputy mayors and fire headquarters chiefs, decision of the council location through a joint general meeting of TK metropolitan council members, efforts to listen to opinions of city and provincial councils and gather residents' opinions," adding, "Integrating as it is now means creating an imperial-type local leader just like the imperial presidential system. Furthermore, considering Daegu’s weak opposition parties, compliant council, insufficient civil society, and media environment tilted toward the executive branch, the worst outcome is expected," it warned.

The Daegu Democratic Party also stated, "There are three major factors to consider in the reorganization of the local administrative system: 'administrative functions,' 'administrative layers,' and 'administrative districts.' The most important issue to discuss in administrative integration is administrative functions. It lacks how to reorganize the organic system between the central government, metropolitan bodies, and basic local governments, and the administrative integration that intends to reduce only the metropolitan leader’s position while leaving basic local governments as they are is truly an 'unheard-of, bizarre administrative integration,'" it said.

The Daegu Democratic Party said, "The TK administrative integration must be premised on three major conditions. First, control of metropolitan leaders’ authority; second, strengthening the power of local councils; third, oversight and participation by political parties and civil society. Under these three premises, the process should proceed step by step. Creating a step-by-step gate-type decision-making model, forming a public deliberation committee, and completing integration through a final residents’ referendum will make it an administrative integration welcomed by all," it added.

The Daegu Democratic Party further stated, "In fact, metropolitan administrative integration should proceed as a national agenda. President Yoon and the government should set the agenda, and the National Assembly should readjust the entire country as one framework to produce results. We also need to examine why the integration of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, as well as Gwangju and Jeonnam, has not progressed," it pointed out.

Finally, the Democratic Party Daegu City Branch said, "If Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and Governor Lee Cheol-woo are trying to buy time behind a temporary compromise called a mediation plan or engage in alibi administration, they should stop immediately. Is it acceptable for the lives of 5 million people in TK to be endangered just so they can create an alibi for themselves?"

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