"Gwangju and Jeonnam as One: Growing Expectations for the Official Launch of the Special Metropolitan Alliance"

Proclamation Ceremony to Be Held in Naju, Jeonnam on the 27th
Foundation for Balanced National Development and Establishment of a Separate Operating Body
Joint Response to Key Issues Such as Metropolitan Railway and Military Airport Relocation
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Jeonnam Provincial Government Office Exterior View

As Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province announce the launch of a special local government body (hereafter referred to as the special local government) in line with the government's core "Five Megaregions and Three Special Autonomous Provinces" strategy, expectations are rising. Amid a growing sense of potential crisis, such as regional extinction due to population decline, there are projections that the positive synergy effect on the local community will be significant if Gwangju and Jeonnam, which share common roots, are integrated into one entity.

According to Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province on August 26, the two local governments are scheduled to hold a proclamation ceremony for the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Metropolitan Alliance at Naju City Hall on August 27.

The core of the Special Metropolitan Alliance launch is to address the chronic problem of overconcentration in the Seoul metropolitan area and to lay the foundation for balanced national development. In the past, various elements that make up industry-including population, industry, capital, and culture-have been excessively concentrated in the capital region, leading to increasing isolation of the provinces.

To address this, the Lee Jaemyung administration established five megaregional hubs (the capital region, Chungcheong region, Gwangju-Jeonnam region, Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region) and three specialized development axes (Gangwon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju), creating a new model for regional development.

However, for Jeonnam Province, which had been pursuing the Jeonnam Special Autonomous Province centered on specialized industries such as offshore wind power and agriculture, the "Five Megaregions and Three Special Provinces" policy has become a turning point that requires new challenges. This is because restrictions under the "Three Special Provinces" policy have made it inevitable to revise previous plans.

In this context, government officials, including Kim Kyungsoo, Chairman of the Local Autonomy Era Committee, first raised the need to promote integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam. As a result, the establishment of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Metropolitan Alliance has gained momentum.

The Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Metropolitan Alliance is expected to take the form of a separate operating body that will maximize administrative efficiency and jointly address common issues facing the two local governments. Representative examples include "metropolitan railway," "environmental issues," "relocation of the Gwangju civil-military airport," "advanced bio-health," and "population extinction." Policies that have not been properly coordinated in the past now have a greater chance of being resolved more quickly. There are also expectations for a healthy recovery in areas such as the local economy, which has hit rock bottom.

Although specific policies have not yet been finalized, it appears that the mayors of Gwangju and the governors of Jeonnam will take turns serving as the head of the alliance in a rotational system. This is expected to serve as a bridge to finding a breakthrough in the long-stalled administrative integration between Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province.

An official from Jeonnam Province stated, "The launch of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Metropolitan Alliance is expected to serve as a cornerstone for jointly responding to regional issues and setting the direction for policy solutions that include administrative measures. As a kind of partnership, it will be an effective combination for seeking solutions to joint agendas and increasing the possibility of resolving them."

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