An aerial view of Guji-myeon in Dalseong-gun, Daegu. [Dalseong-gun]
An aerial view of Guji-myeon in Dalseong-gun, Daegu. [Dalseong-gun]

Guji-myeon in Daegu's Dalseong-gun has received final approval from the Ministry of Interior and Safety to be elevated to eup status, officials announced Thursday.

The upgrade is the first for Dalseong-gun since Yuga, Okpo and Hyeonpung townships were elevated to eup status in 2018, an eight-year gap.

With the change, Dalseong-gun transitions to a structure of seven eup and two myeon, making it the local government with the most eup-level townships among the country's 226 basic local authorities.

The elevation is also the first case nationwide in which a revised rule on administrative boundary adjustments — amended in March — has been applied.

Under the revised rule, a township becomes eligible for eup status once its resident population, including foreign nationals and overseas Koreans, exceeds 20,000. Guji-myeon met all legal requirements, recording a population of 21,221 as of the end of 2025, while also surpassing the 40 percent thresholds for households engaged in urban industries and residents living in urbanized areas.

The township has seen rapid population growth driven by the development of the Daegu National Industrial Complex, the move-in of large apartment complexes and an influx of foreign workers.

Dalseong-gun plans to officially launch Guji-eup at the end of September, when a local ordinance will be promulgated following updates to municipal regulations and the replacement of road signs.

"The elevation of Guji-myeon to eup status is a meaningful achievement built together by residents and the administration around the Daegu National Industrial Complex, and a milestone signaling a new leap forward for Dalseong in its ninth elected term," Dalseong-gun chief Choe Jae-hun said. "We will swiftly expand the administrative and welfare infrastructure befitting its new status and develop Guji-eup into a key hub of Daegu where industry and residential environment go hand in hand."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com