The Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City held its first public institution heads meeting since its launch on Thursday at the main conference room of the Gwangju office.
Mayor Min Hyeong-bae and the heads of public institutions from both South Jeolla Province and Gwangju attended to discuss the direction of integration.
At the meeting, the city laid out its guiding principles for consolidation: institutions with similar names and functions will be merged as quickly as possible, while those without overlapping roles will be reorganized to fit the special city's administrative framework.
Five principles were announced — ensuring employment continuity for staff, pursuing mergers without budget or staffing penalties, accelerating integration through a citizen-sovereignty approach, and allowing institutions to lead their own consolidation in an autonomous and accountable manner.
The special city currently operates 41 public institutions — 18 from Gwangju, 21 from South Jeolla Province and two jointly run.
Of these, 25 institutions with overlapping functions — 13 from South Jeolla Province and 12 from Gwangju — are slated to be merged or have their functions adjusted by June 2027.
The city plans to set up a dedicated task force for each institution and launch assessments of organizational structure, staffing, finances and projects, with the goal of producing institution-specific merger plans by year's end.
"Consolidating public institutions is not simply about reducing their number — it is a reorganization aimed at delivering better public services to citizens," Mayor Min said. "We will integrate functions while strengthening services for residents, and secure both employment stability for staff and institutional expertise, building a public institution framework befitting the integrated special city."
sij@heraldcorp.com
