North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho meet with Democratic Party of Korea Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung on Wednesday to request support for shared regional issues. [North Gyeongsang Province]
North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho meet with Democratic Party of Korea Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung on Wednesday to request support for shared regional issues. [North Gyeongsang Province]

Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province jointly appealed to Democratic Party of Korea leadership Wednesday for support on key regional issues.

North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho met with Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do and Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung to request support on shared regional concerns, including construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport, administrative integration between the two regions, and a decline in local allocation tax revenue stemming from the creation of a future response fund.

The two officials first raised the plight of residents in Uiseong-gun, saying delays in the new airport project had placed significant restrictions on home renovations and the replanting of fruit orchards. They asked that public funds be provided to ensure prompt compensation for affected residents.

They also urged the National Assembly to pass a special bill on administrative integration during the current regular session, noting that the legislation — which cleared the Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee in February — had been stalled in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for more than eight months. They said the bill must be enacted to ensure the planned integrated special city can launch without disruption in 2028.

Governor Lee separately called for the national government to raise its funding share for rural basic income expansion to at least 90 percent to ease the burden on local finances, and requested that national budget allocations be secured for a review of the local allocation tax-to-future-response-fund conversion scheme, road and rail network expansion, AI adoption in manufacturing, and additional support for areas hit by wildfire damage.

Democratic Party floor leader Han said the party's consistent position was that South Korea could only thrive if its regions did. "We will look carefully at what you have asked," Han said.

Policy Committee Chairman Kwon said he was well aware of the difficulties facing local governments. "We will actively review the proposals from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province at the policy committee level to ensure they are meaningfully reflected in policy and budget decisions," Kwon said.


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