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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Kim Min-seok calls Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger a party promise

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said the Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger remains one of his party’s outstanding commitments.
  • He said the proposal should move forward through an appropriate timing and process, while acknowledging residents’ disappointment after an earlier attempt failed.
  • South Chungcheong officials also sought support for regional budgets, public-agency relocation, energy transition measures, and the 2027 Chungcheong Universiade.

Kim Min-seok has kept the stalled Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger on the Democratic Party’s agenda, saying it can move forward “through an appropriate timing and process.”

Speaking at a party leadership meeting at the South Chungcheong provincial government office on the 4th, Kim said the merger had been publicly promised by the party and its candidates for local government leadership. He described it as one of the tasks still ahead.

The Daejeon-South Chungcheong administrative merger can proceed through an appropriate timing and process.

· Kim Min-seokThe Democratic Party leader discussed reviving the merger proposal at a party leadership meeting in South Chungcheong.

Kim also acknowledged the frustration left by the failed administrative merger attempt earlier this year. He said residents were disappointed because local leaders from another party had previously discussed the plan but failed to deliver it. He also pointed to the lack of effective public-agency relocation after the region received designation as an innovation city.

The Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger is one of the tasks still ahead because our party and our candidates for local government leadership had publicly promised it.

· Kim Min-seokKim described the merger as an outstanding party commitment.

The meeting preceded a budget policy consultation. Kim said South Chungcheong’s national government budget would exceed 13 trillion won for the first time and pledged to help ensure that projects the province needs receive support during parliamentary budget deliberations.

The public meeting raised several regional priorities, including a second wave of public-agency relocations to Naepo New Town, efforts to bring the integrated headquarters of five state-owned power companies to South Chungcheong, and support for the 2027 Chungcheong Universiade. Provincial governor Park Soo-hyun also called for practical support as coal-fired power plants gradually close, warning that the transition threatens local jobs and the regional economy. He urged the party to help the province become a center for new industries and jobs rather than a region left carrying only the costs of the energy transition.

South Chungcheong is facing the gradual closure of coal-fired power plants, and in that process it faces the risk of regional decline through job losses and a contraction of the local economy.

· Park Soo-hyunThe South Chungcheong governor called for practical support during the energy transition.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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