Daejeon Council Member Lee Byeongcheol: "A Consolidation Where Responsibility Grows Without Authority Cannot Succeed"

"Administrative consolidation without decentralization is nothing but an empty shell... the conditions for successful consolidation must first be properly established"

"A consolidation without the transfer of authority... will only lead to greater confusion and more buck-passing after the consolidation"

Scene of Assemblyman Lee Byungcheol's 5-minute speech at the 293rd Extraordinary Session, 2nd Plenary Meeting (Photo by Daejeon City Council)

Lee Byeongcheol, a member of the Daejeon Metropolitan Council’s Administration and Autonomy Committee (People Power Party, Seo-gu District 4), strongly criticized the government and the Democratic Party, saying, "A consolidation in which responsibility only grows without any authority cannot succeed," and, "An administrative consolidation without decentralization is nothing but an empty shell, so the conditions for successful consolidation must first be properly established."

At the 2nd plenary meeting of the 293rd Extraordinary Session held on February 10, Assemblyman Lee stated in his five-minute free speech, "The key factor that will determine the success or failure of the administrative consolidation of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province is decentralization, and any consolidation that does not guarantee decentralization is bound to fail."

Assemblyman Lee said, "Administrative consolidation is not simply a matter of merging administrative districts; it is about redesigning the structure of powers so that local governments can independently design and implement their own policies," and pointed out, "A consolidation without the transfer of authority will only lead to greater confusion and more buck-passing after the consolidation."

In particular, regarding the current proposals for administrative consolidation under discussion, he criticized them by saying, "On the surface they speak of consolidation, but in reality the substantial autonomy remains tied to the central government," and, "This is not decentralization through consolidation, but merely an expansion of the existing centralized structure."

Assemblyman Lee said, "Because of the central government-led control structure, including preliminary feasibility studies, central investment reviews, and ministry consultations, regional projects have repeatedly drifted for years or missed their golden time," and stressed, "If administrative consolidation is pursued while leaving this structure intact, local governments will remain in a state where they cannot decide anything even after consolidation."

Assemblyman Lee reiterated, "A consolidation in which responsibility only grows without any authority cannot succeed," and added, "A consolidation that merely piles burdens onto local governments, which should instead be given wings, is not a consolidation for the citizens."

Assemblyman Lee Byeongcheol emphasized, "Administrative consolidation without accompanying decentralization will not change citizens' lives," and said, "For the discussion on the administrative consolidation of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province to truly become a choice for the future of the region, the conditions and design of the consolidation must first be corrected."

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