After TK Administrative Integration, 33 Daegu City Council Members vs. 60 Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Members... "Council Numbers Must Be Equal"

Daegu City Council's Expanded Presiding Officers' Meeting
Structurally Bound to Be Dragged Along by Gyeongbuk

On the 19th, the Daegu City Council held an emergency expanded presiding officers' meeting to discuss the main contentious points of the revised Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration Special Act, which passed the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, and to deliberate on future response measures.

The expanded presiding officers' group criticized Daegu City for the lack of prior consultation and procedural discussion, stating that "the key content of the 'Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration Agreement', which passed the Daegu City Council plenary session in December 2024, and the 'Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integration Special Act', which has now passed the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, has changed dramatically. Even city council members, who are both representatives of the citizens and parties directly involved in the integration, do not know the details accurately and have not received a single proper explanation."

An expanded meeting of the presiding officers of the Daegu City Council is being held.

They also expressed deep concern that, while the integration previously discussed was premised on a real transfer of central authority and mandatory special provisions to expand local autonomy, the currently revised resolution has weakened the effectiveness of the authority transfer by easing many provisions into discretionary clauses framed as "may".

Hajunghwan, Chair of the Daegu City Council Steering Committee, pointed out the asymmetry between the number of council members in Gyeongbuk (60 members) and in Daegu (33 members), explaining that "one city council member wields immense power that can change an important decision," and that "because the number of Gyeongbuk council members is far greater than that of Daegu, Daegu City is structurally bound to be dragged along by Gyeongbuk Province in key decision-making and resource allocation processes."

In particular, he stressed that "the number of council members in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated Metropolitan City must be composed in equal numbers between Daegu and Gyeongbuk so that Daegu is neither buried in nor absorbed by Gyeongbuk, and so that it can deliberate on city affairs with an equal voice." He went on to strongly urge, "If the number of council members from Daegu and Gyeongbuk is not composed equally, we will inevitably become, in historical terms, those responsible for the disappearance of Daegu. Therefore, prepare concrete alternatives and proactive measures to adjust the number of council members."

Daegu City Council Chair Lee Man-gyu sharply retorted, asking, "Isn't 20 trillion won in fiscal support the core issue?" and pointed out that Daegu City has failed to include any plan for securing financial resources in the law, and that neither specific safeguards nor clear implementation plans have been established. He also said, "It is difficult to gain civic consent if the focus is solely on passing the special act without sufficient explanation and consultation with the council," adding, "If the integration is pursued without firmly established conditions and principles, it is inevitable that opposing voices will emerge."

The Daegu City Council made clear its position that the integration must not remain superficial and that it will respond responsibly until citizens' autonomy and representativeness are substantively guaranteed. They also agreed that, if the matters discussed on this day are not realized, they will not hesitate to make a new, decisive move.

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