“Integrated Special City, of the ‘20 trillion won’ in special support, 80% will go to attracting companies···It will stop the outflow of young people in four years” - 경향신문

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On the 23rd, Mayor-elect Min Hyung-bae of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is being interviewed by the Kyunghyang Shinmun. Provided by the Jeonnam-Gwangju Great Transition Planning Committee.

“The launch of the Integrated Special City is the ‘true beginning of balanced development,’ in which regions lead growth, breaking away from the capital-centric monocentric system. It is not merely about merging administrative districts.”

Mayor-elect Min Hyung-bae of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City described the launch as a “historic challenge” in an interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 23rd. He said the integration of metropolitan governments creates a chance to ‘reverse’ the regional neglect and discrimination that continued for some 50 years of the industrialization era, as well as an economy that has lagged far behind the capital region.

Gwangju and Jeonnam, which were separated when Gwangju was elevated to a directly governed city in 1986, will relaunch as the ‘Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City’ on the 1st of next month. As the first-ever case of metropolitan-level consolidation in the nation’s constitutional history, the Integrated Special City is also the first model of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s balanced development strategy, ‘5 Poles, 3 Specials.’

“Since separation, Jeonnam and Gwangju have competed over projects and budgets for 40 years,” Min said, adding, “We have gained a chance to make a fresh leap forward through the Lee Jae Myung administration’s ‘integrative politics.’”

The Integrated Special City bears the task of proving that ‘region-led growth’ is possible and thereby inducing ‘additional metropolitan integrations.’ Some also say, “The success of the Special City is the success of the People’s Sovereignty Government.”

Min cited ‘youth outflow’ as the most painful statistic reflecting reality. According to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, last year there was a net outflow of 5,200 people in their 20s from Gwangju and 5,100 from Jeonnam. Some ten thousand people in their 20s are leaving the region annually.

To overcome this, he set ‘overwhelming growth’ as the goal. “Overwhelming growth does not mean merely inflating numbers,” Min said. “It means growth sufficient to change citizens’ lives, growth strong enough to keep young people from leaving, and growth that allows the region not to wait only for more central support.”

The ‘20 trillion won’ in special support promised by the government is a core resource for the Integrated Special City’s future. Min said he will execute the 20 trillion won according to an ‘8-1-1’ principle: 80% will be invested in attracting companies and industrial infrastructure, 10% allocated to talent development, and 10% to the social safety net. To this end, the Integrated Special City plans to establish an ‘investment corporation.’ It is also pursuing the creation of an ‘energy corporation’ to supply the region’s abundant renewable energy at low cost to attract businesses.

“Decision-making will be done together with citizens through collecting opinions by zone, public deliberation, and expert review,” he said, adding, “We will make the criteria clear: whether youth jobs are being created, whether companies and investment can be attracted, whether citizens’ lives are improving, and whether any particular zone is being left out.”

With a population of 3.16 million, the Integrated Special City will, under the special law, use three existing government complexes in a balanced way: the Gwangju City Hall complex; the Jeonnam Provincial Main Complex (Muan); and the Eastern Region Complex (Suncheon). However, since two metropolitan leaders become one, conflict and controversy are intensifying locally over where the ‘government complex’ housing the ‘special mayor’s office’ should be. Min emphasized integration, saying, “There is no concept of a ‘main government complex.’”

On the 23rd, Mayor-elect Min Hyung-bae of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is being interviewed by the Kyunghyang Shinmun. Provided by the Jeonnam-Gwangju Great Transition Planning Committee.

They are considering a plan to assign functions as follows: administrative coordination and political/institutional maintenance to the Gwangju complex; citizen sovereignty and autonomy/welfare/fisheries and agriculture to the provincial main complex; and industry/economy/AI/energy to the Eastern Region complex, which would also serve as the legal address.

He said, “We will not use the term ‘main government complex’; all three are main. What matters is that Jeonnam and Gwangju are not separatenow they are one,” adding, “The size or functions of the provincial main complex and the Eastern Region complex will not be reduced.”

The Special Mayor will also, for the time being, rotate among the three government complexes for work. “We will set up small ‘practical workrooms’ at the three complexes where meetings can be held and urgent approvals processed,” Min said, drawing a line by adding, “This does not mean a separate office or a large secretariat.”

Each of the three complexes will also have a ‘civil service center.’ These will include a ‘(tentative name) We-Do-Anything Center’ that resolves residents’ minor needs, a ‘(tentative name) Citizen Sovereignty Center’ that handles rights violations, and a ‘(tentative name) Business Center’ that assists local firms with financing and legal isues. Min explained, “When elderly residents need a light bulb changed, when residents’ rights are infringed, or when small and medium-sized enterprises face difficulties, these centers will resolve them.”

He also set out his position on the redeployment of public officials due to functional adjustments by complex. The special law specifies the ‘guarantee of fair treatment for public officials,’ with the core being that ‘public officials appointed before the establishment of the Special City are guaranteed the ability to work within the former jurisdictions of Gwangju City or Jeonnam Province.’

However, only with the person’s explicit consent can a personnel transfer be made outside the appointment area. Public officials affiliated with the existing, more urban Gwangju City worry that if departments are consolidated and moved to Jeonnam complexes due to functional adjustments by complex, personnel transfers may be unavoidable.

“Redeploying public officials is necessary, but we must consult with the labor union,” Min said. “The current rules prohibit (transfers without consent), and those rules must be changed quickly. If we cannot move personnel, we cannot integrate.”

With a status equivalent to that of ‘Seoul Special City,’ the Integrated Special City will have four vice mayors at vice-minister level. They will be responsible for administration; safety and livelihoods; culture and industry; and economy and agriculture/forestry, respectively. “One vice mayor must be capable of directly negotiating budgets with central ministries, and another should be an expert in investment attraction,” Min said, adding, “Appointments will be made through open recruitment and citizen vetting, and I will keep the promise that at least one will be a woman.”

Min plans to forgo a separate inauguration ceremony and officially begin his duties by taking an ‘oath of office’ at the Special City Council’s opening on July 1.

Having served as a journalist, head of a civic group, elected district head, and National Assembly member, Min is presenting a ‘citizen sovereignty government’ as the core operating model of the Integrated Special City. Major policies will be disclosed in advance, and procedures for public deliberation will be institutionalized.

Min defined the standard of success for the Special City as follows: “At minimum, in four years, young people will no longer leave the region.”

“We cannot blame young people for looking straight to Seoul,” he emphasized. “The Integrated Special City will create reasons not to leave. Enabling young people to work here and start families is the city’s future.”