Jeonnam-Gwangju Integration Preparatory Budget of 57.6 Billion Won Excluded... Cheon Haram Says, "Are We Supposed to Integrate by Taking on Debt?"

After 57.6 billion won in preparatory funds for the launch of the Jeonnam·Gwangju Integrated Special City was excluded from the supplementary budget, Cheon Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, directly challenged the government’s responsibility for financial support. He pointed out both procedural issues during the integration process and the possibility of shifting the financial burden, urging the central government to present a concrete support plan.

At a press conference at the National Assembly on the 19th, Floor Leader Cheon said, "The entire 57.6 billion won in preparatory funds for the launch of the Jeonnam·Gwangju Integrated Special City was cut from the recent supplementary budget," and added, "The government must reflect on its hasty push for integration and present a specific support roadmap."

Cheon Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, is speaking at the Seoul Metropolitan Party's local election vision presentation and launch event held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News.

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He criticized, "The government has gone back on its promise to provide active support and is now telling us to resolve the issue by issuing local bonds," adding, "It’s as if you are being pushed to 'get married,' but when it comes to the wedding costs, you are told to 'take on debt and handle it yourself.'"

Floor Leader Cheon explained that, even at the time the Jeonnam·Gwangju Integrated Special City bill was brought to the plenary session, he had pointed out the problem of the integration being pushed by the government and the president without gathering residents’ opinions or sufficient public discussion. He said, "Integration promoted without a clear plan on when and how to provide support could ultimately lead to administrative confusion and harm to residents."

He went on to note that, while the government did not include the integration preparatory funds, it did pass a 3.75 billion won budget for the apartment balcony solar power project in the same supplementary budget-a 50% increase-and maintained 2.81 billion won for the effort to attract Chinese tourists by renaming it the 'global tourist' project. He pointed out, "The combined budget for these two projects exceeds the integration preparatory funds by 800 million won."

In particular, he identified the integration of administrative information systems as the most urgent task after the merger. He expressed concern that, unless core administrative services such as resident registration, tax notifications, certificate issuance, and welfare benefits are unified into a single system, there could be an administrative vacuum immediately after the launch.

Floor Leader Cheon also called on Min Hyungbae, the Democratic Party candidate for mayor of the Jeonnam·Gwangju Integrated Special City, to "clearly state whether he will issue local bonds as instructed by the government to push forward integration if elected as the first mayor," and added, "Since he emphasized his credentials as an original pro-Lee Jae-myung figure during the primary, he should explain to citizens what role he played in securing the integration preparatory funds."

He added, "Integration is not a political slogan but a task that can only be realized when both administrative and financial preparations are made," and continued, "The first head of the new city will be evaluated based on their actual ability to secure resources, rather than symbolic significance."

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