Busan City and Gyeongnam-do Province in South Korea have taken a major stride towards administrative integration, with the inaugural meeting of the Busan-Gyeongnam Administrative Integration Working Committee on February 15th. This development follows formal discussions on administrative integration between the two local governments, which were initiated in October 2022.
The committee is composed of eight officials, each director serving as a co-leader. Its objective is to supervise the overall administrative integration, including developing plans and procedures to promote administrative integration, promoting public relations, and building consensus among city and provincial residents.
During the meeting, the committee discussed the implementation committee’s operation schedule, measures to build consensus through public relations, and the timing and details of a city and provincial residents’ poll on the promotion of administrative integration. The committee agreed to hold regular meetings in the future to discuss and consult on the integration process.
Busan City Administrator Lee Soo-il, who was present as a co-leader, stressed the importance of consensus-building among city and provincial residents throughout the promotion process. He pointed out that the integration process would help tackle the crisis of regional extinction, with Busan and Gyeongnam potentially becoming a new core axis of national balanced development.
Lee further stated, “While administrative integration can be a way to achieve this, the most crucial factor is the formation of consensus among city and provincial residents. Throughout the promotion process, we plan to prioritize citizens’ opinions.”
Busan City and Gyeongnam-do Province intend to advance the administrative integration process through steady and continuous consultation, with the views of the citizens taking precedence. As the integration process moves forward, public scrutiny will be intense, and citizens’ opinions are expected to shape the region’s future.
The Busan-Gyeongnam Administrative Integration Working Committee‘s meeting is a significant milestone in the administrative integration process. It remains to be seen how the process will unfold in the future, but this is certainly an exciting development for the region.
