Min Hyung-bae “With 20 trillion won in special support, true balanced development… will keep young people here” - 경향신문

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

“Launching the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City marks the start of ‘real balanced development’ in which regions lead growth, breaking free from the capital-area’s single-pole system. It is not simply about merging administrative districts.” Min Hyung-bae, Mayor-elect of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, called the launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City a “historic challenge” in an interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 23rd.

Gwangju and South Jeolla, which were separated when Gwangju was elevated to a directly controlled city in 1986, will relaunch as the ‘Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City’ on the 1st of next month. As the first case of consolidation among metropolitan governments in constitutional history, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City is also the first model of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s balanced development strategy, ‘5 Poles, 3 Specials’. Mayor-elect Min said, “Since their separation, South Jeolla and Gwangju have competed over projects and budgets for 40 years,” adding, “With the Lee Jae Myung administration’s ‘integrative politics’, we now have a chance to make a fresh leap.” The Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City carries the task of spurring ‘another metropolitan integration’ by proving that ‘region-led growth’ is possible.

Mayor-elect Min cited ‘youth outflow’ as the most painful statistic that reflects the reality of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City. According to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, last year there was a net outflow of 5,200 people in their twenties from Gwangju and 5,100 from South Jeolla. More than 10,000 people in their twenties leave the region each year. To overcome this, Min set ‘overwhelming growth’ as his goal. He said, “Overwhelming growth does not mean merely inflating numbers; it means growth sufficient to change citizens’ lives, growth strong enough that young people will not leave, and growth that does not require the region to simply wait for central support.”

The government’s promised ‘20 trillion won’ in special support is the core resource for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City’s future. Min said the 20 trillion won will be executed according to an ‘8 to 1 to 1’ principle: 80% for attracting companies and industrial infrastructure, 10% for nurturing talent, and 10% for the social safety net. To this end, the city plans to establish an ‘Investment Corporation’. It is also pushing to establish an ‘Energy Corporation’ to supply the region’s abundant renewable energy at low cost to attract companies. “We will make decisions together with citizens through regional opinion-gathering, public deliberation, and expert reviews,” Min said, adding, “We will set clear criteria, including whether it creates jobs for young people, whether it can attract companies and investment, whether it improves citizens’ lives, and whether any particular area is left out.”

With a population of 3.16 million, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City will make balanced use of three existing complexes under the special law: Gwangju City Hall, the South Jeolla Provincial Government’s main complex (Muan), and the Eastern Region Complex (Suncheon). However, there is internal friction over where the ‘complex’ housing the ‘Special Mayor’s office’ should be.

Min emphasized integration, saying, “We will not use the term ‘main complex’; all three will be main complexes.” He is considering a plan to assign functions as follows: the Gwangju complex for administrative coordination and political affairs·organizational maintenance; the provincial main complex for citizens’ sovereignty and autonomy·welfare·fisheries and agriculture; and the eastern complex for industry·economy·AI·energy, and to designate one as the legal address.

The Special Mayor also plans, for the time being, to rotate working among all three complexes. “We will set up small ‘task-oriented offices’ at the three complexes to handle meetings or urgent approvals,” Min said. “We will not have a separate office with an enlarged secretariat.”

Each complex will also have a ‘Civil Service Center’. These centers will include a ‘(tentative name) Do-it-all Center’ to resolve everyday inconveniences, a ‘(tentative name) Citizens’ Sovereignty Center’ to handle rights violations, and a ‘(tentative name) Business Center’ to help local companies with financing and legal issues. Min explained, “When elderly residents need to replace light bulbs, when citizens’ rights are infringed, or when small and medium-sized enterprises face difficulties, these will be the places that solve the problem.”

He also stated his position on the redeployment of civil servants arising from functional adjustments by complex. The special law stipulates ‘guaranteeing fair treatment of civil servants’, with the key being that ‘civil servants appointed before the establishment of the Special City are guaranteed to work within the former jurisdictions of Gwangju City or South Jeolla Province’. Personnel transfers outside an original appointment area are allowed only with the employee’s explicit consent. Civil servants currently belonging to Gwangju City, an urban jurisdiction, are concerned that if ministries or departments are merged and moved to South Jeolla complexes due to functional adjustments, transfers could become unavoidable.

“Redeployment of civil servants is necessary, but it must be discussed with the labor union,” Min said. “The current rules prohibit (personnel moves without consent), and those rules need to be changed quickly. If we cannot move personnel, we cannot achieve integration.”

With a status equivalent to ‘Seoul Special City’, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City will have four vice mayors at vice-ministerial rank. The vice mayors will be responsible for administration, safety and livelihoods, culture and industry, and economy and agriculture/forestry. Min said, “One vice mayor should be someone capable of directly negotiating budgets with central ministries, and another should be an expert in investment attraction.” He added, “Appointments will be made through open recruitment and citizen vetting, and I will keep the promise to appoint at least one woman.”

Min will forgo a separate inauguration ceremony and begin official duties by taking the ‘oath of office’ at the Special City Council when it convenes on July 1. As a benchmark of success for the Special City, he said, “At a minimum, four years from now, young people will no longer be leaving the region.” He emphasized, “We cannot blame young people for looking toward Seoul. The Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City will create reasons not to leave. Enabling young people to work here and start families is the Special City’s future.”