A joint study commissioned to analyze the effects of converting Gwangju's five autonomous districts into general-purpose cities has been effectively halted. Officials said the study is expected to take far longer than initially anticipated, and the districts plan to reassess whether to proceed given that related legislation has already been introduced in the National Assembly.
The five autonomous districts had originally planned to conduct the study over roughly two months to quickly assess the fiscal benefits and expanded autonomy that would come with conversion to general-purpose city status.
The study was intended to provide an objective basis for the conversion by analyzing expanded administrative powers — including direct allocation of ordinary local allocation tax, changes to the local tax revenue structure, and urban planning authority.
However, at the first meeting of a dedicated task force on strengthening autonomous district authority — which brought together representatives from the integrated city, the five districts, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, and private-sector experts — specialists said the study would require at least six months to a year or more.
With related bills already before the National Assembly, the five districts and the integrated city concluded it would be impractical to wait that long for study results, and agreed to reconsider whether to proceed.
The integrated city and each district will first review and analyze which administrative functions can be transferred to the autonomous districts. A second TF meeting, scheduled for mid-November, will revisit the question of whether to commission the study and discuss broader measures to strengthen autonomous governance.
Kim I-gang, chair of the South Jeolla-Gwangju District Mayors' Council, said resolving the imbalance in administrative capacity between the five autonomous districts and the 22 cities and counties is the top priority for achieving full integration of the South Jeolla-Gwangju region. "We plan to actively push for the conditions needed to strengthen administrative and autonomous authority, and to work with the integrated city through broad-based dialogue," Kim said.
sij@heraldcorp.com
