Politics · South Korea · 3 hrs ago
Gyeongbuk lawmakers call for safeguards in Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration
Gyeongbuk lawmakers are reviewing plans to integrate the province with Daegu, a nearby city in South Korea.
On October 15, a provincial assembly committee heard an update from the integration task force and discussed key issues.
The integration bill is waiting in a National Assembly committee, and one lawmaker urged officials to work with lawmakers to move it forward.
Committee members said the plan needs real local powers and stable government funding to work effectively.
They also warned that poor coordination could leave conflicts between areas unresolved, as happened after earlier local government mergers.
Members called for clear rules on the location of the integrated government offices and assembly, along with a plan for development in northern Gyeongbuk.
Officials were asked to prepare a roadmap and build agreement with Daegu and Gyeongbuk's 22 cities and counties.
Gyeongsangbuk-do lawmakers called for safeguards to ensure the proposed Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative merger delivers local autonomy and balanced development.
The provincial council’s special committee reviewed the integration preparations during a briefing on October 15.
Members called for stable government funding, clear plans for the northern part of Gyeongsangbuk-do and detailed advance coordination with Daegu.
They also urged efforts to move the merger bill, currently pending before the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, toward a plenary vote.
- Who
- The Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council’s Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration Special Committee.
- What
- It called for effective policies and safeguards for the proposed administrative integration, including local autonomy and balanced development.
- When
- The committee held its review on October 15, during the council’s 366th regular session. The report was published on October 17, 2026.
- Where
- Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea.
- Why
- Members said the integration needs real local authority, stable funding and measures to address regional concerns and prevent problems.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The special committee heard a work report from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integration Promotion Group and reviewed issues related to the integration.
Yonhap reported the committee’s call for effective policies, including local autonomy and balanced development.
- Committee
- Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council’s Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration Special Committee
- Bill status
- Pending before the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee
- Regional planning
- Members called for a development plan for northern Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Council session
- 366th regular session
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What people are saying
Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration is a major task on which the region's future depends, so we need to accurately identify why the special bill is currently stalled in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and carefully review once again ways to reach agreement with Gyeongsangbuk-do's 22 cities and counties and Daegu, as well as development measures for the northern region.
For a truly locally led integration, not only financial support but also securing substantive local autonomy is essential.