Prime Minister Kim Minseok Says "Administrative Integration Before Local Elections Impossible If Law Not Passed by End of February"

Answer at National Assembly interpellation session

Prime Minister Kim Minseok said on the 11th that, in relation to the discussions on administrative integration underway in political circles ahead of the June 3 local elections, "In practical terms, if the relevant law does not pass the plenary session by the end of February, it will be close to impossible to integrate the metropolitan city and province in the concerned region before the election."

Prime Minister Kim Minseok is answering a lawmaker's question during the government's questioning on economic affairs held at the National Assembly plenary session hall on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

In response to a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Hwang Myungseon during the government questioning session at the National Assembly that day, Prime Minister Kim answered, "This is based on considerations of the accompanying administrative measures and election preparations."

Prime Minister Kim then added, "I ask that lawmakers of the People Power Party also actively participate so that we can keep this golden time for balanced national development, rather than focusing on partisan interests or political calculations of the ruling and opposition parties."

In response to lawmaker Hwang's question, "If even one of the special integration bills fails to pass among those currently under discussion for administrative integration in South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon, Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, and South Jeolla Province and Gwangju Metropolitan City, what will happen?", he said, "For whatever reason, if even one of the three fails to pass, the residents of that region will bear the impact," and added, "As for what outcome will emerge in the first year or four years later, that is something the lawmakers of the concerned region must carefully contemplate."

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