Agreement on Integration of Four Agencies in 'Daegu Gyeongbuk Special City'... "Beyond the 'Hangang Miracle,' Aiming to Become Korea's Second Miracle" (Comprehensive)

Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Daegu City, Gyeongbuk Province, and Local Era Committee Agreement
After Integration, Use Daegu City Hall and Gyeongbuk Andong and Pohang Offices
Integrated Local Government Status to Be 'Equivalent to Capital Seoul'

Daegu and Gyeongbuk have taken a step closer to unification as the 'Daegu-Gyeongbuk Special City,' with a status comparable to the capital Seoul. Daegu, Gyeongbuk, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Local Era Committee have agreed on the name of the integrated local government and the utilization plan for government offices, and plan to accelerate efforts to enact the integration special law by the first half of next year.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Chairman of the Local Era Committee Woo Dong-gi, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, and Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo met at the Government Seoul Office Building at 2 p.m. on the 21st and signed the 'Joint Agreement for Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integration.'

On the afternoon of the 21st, at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Lee Sang-min (from the right), Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Woo Dong-gi, Chairman of the Local Era Committee, are taking a commemorative photo after signing a joint agreement for the integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk. Photo by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Minister Lee said, "Daegu and Gyeongbuk, which will become one in the future, are expected to have strong competitiveness leading regional development and become a core growth axis of the Republic of Korea," adding, "Once Daegu and Gyeongbuk submit the integration plan to the government based on today's agreement, the government will form an inter-ministerial consultative body to establish support measures for the integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk."

The heads of the two institutions leading the integration also expressed their expectations. Mayor Hong said, "The integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk means a major innovation in local administrative reform, abolishing the 'Paldo system' that has been in place for the past 100 years," and added, "The passage through the National Assembly remains, and I will actively work to persuade the Democratic Party of Korea." Governor Lee emphasized, "After Daegu and Gyeongbuk were separated, they continued on a path of decline and hardship," and said, "The integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk should be a turning point to integrate Jeolla, Chungcheong, and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam as well. Only then can Korea find a new path through national restructuring and achieve a second miracle of the Republic of Korea."

Daegu-Gyeongbuk Special City with Status Comparable to Seoul... Three Government Offices

The joint agreement announced that day included the roles of the four institutions promoting TK integration and seven agreed matters between Daegu and Gyeongbuk. First, the name of the integrated local government established by merging Daegu and Gyeongbuk will be 'Daegu-Gyeongbuk Special City,' and its status will be set to be comparable to that of the capital Seoul Special City.

Regarding the controversial location of government offices, it was agreed to utilize the current Daegu City Hall and the Gyeongbuk offices in Andong and Pohang. However, functions will be distributed considering the regional characteristics of each office location, and no separate jurisdictional areas will be set according to the location of the offices. Initially, Daegu proposed setting jurisdictional areas for each office in the administrative integration special law draft, but Gyeongbuk opposed it, stating that it does not align with the basic direction of administrative integration to 'strengthen city and county autonomy.'

Regarding this, a Gyeongbuk provincial official explained, "The essence of the agreement is to utilize each office without artificially setting specific jurisdictional boundaries and arrangements according to current office utilization regulations, and to appropriately use departments that fit the characteristics of each region," adding, "If various functions or authorities are strengthened or reorganized after integration, the arrangement of new administrative demands or functions should be reviewed according to new circumstances and appropriate forms." For example, the current Gyeongbuk Provincial Office operates divided into the main office (Andong) and the eastern office (Pohang), with the eastern office housing departments related to energy and marine fisheries considering the regional and functional characteristics of the East Coast.

According to the agreement, even after integration into Daegu-Gyeongbuk Special City, cities, counties, and autonomous districts will continue to perform their previous duties. It also specifies that measures must be taken to grant the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Special City comprehensive functions such as establishing comprehensive plans related to economic and industrial promotion, balanced development, and metropolitan administration to achieve the practical effects of integration.

Additionally, the agreement includes items such as the rank and number of vice mayors and fire chiefs with status comparable to the capital, deciding the location of the council through a joint general meeting of both councils, the principle of hearing opinions from city and provincial councils, and efforts to gather residents' opinions. A Ministry of the Interior and Safety official stated, "We plan to actively collect regional opinions by conducting regional briefings and public opinion surveys as soon as possible."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Goal of Enacting the Special Law 'Within This Year' Changed to 'Within This Year for Proposal'

The administrative integration discussions, which began in earnest last June, were not smooth. Daegu and Gyeongbuk continued conflicts over issues such as government office locations and city and county authority, even facing a 'collapse crisis.' The Ministry of the Interior and Safety proposed a mediation plan this month, accelerating negotiations.

As the discussion process took longer than initially expected, the goal of enacting the integration special law within this year was slightly delayed to 'proposing within this year.' A Daegu city official said, "Considering the time delay during the consultation process, we will propose the special law within this year," adding, "We plan to push for the enactment of the law in the first half of next year." It is more likely to proceed with a bill proposed by lawmakers rather than a government-initiated bill, which takes longer for review before submission. Mayor Hong mentioned that day, "We are thinking of submitting it as a bill proposed by lawmakers, not as a government bill submitted to the National Assembly."

Based on the joint agreement announced that day, Daegu and Gyeongbuk will prepare an integration plan and submit it to the government. Then, an inter-ministerial consultative body involving related ministries will be formed to prepare support measures for Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration. Subsequently, after the approval of city and provincial councils as required by the Local Autonomy Act and the enactment of the integration special law, the goal is to launch the integrated local government in July 2026.

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