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Plan to merge Daejeon with South Chungcheong gains momentum, opposition

Published: 05 Jan. 2026, 08:00 Updated: 05 Jan. 2026, 13:03

President Lee Jae Myung, center, delivers opening remarks at a town hall meeting under a title that translates roughly to ″Designing the Future of South Chungcheong, the Heart of Advanced Industries″ held at the Korea University of Technology and Education in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Dec. 5, 2025. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

DAEJEON — As discussions to merge the administrations of Daejeon and South Chungcheong are gaining momentum, civic groups, academics and residents are voicing concerns that the move is being rushed without sufficient public input.

The plan seeks to integrate Daejeon — which is classified as one of Korea’s six autonomous metropolitan cities alongside Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju and Ulsan — with the provincial government of South Chungcheong, effectively creating a single special metropolitan city that would hold the same administrative status as Seoul.

The proposed merger has picked up speed after President Lee Jae Myung recently expressed his support for a plan to create major regional hubs across Korea, aiming to boost balanced regional development by forming a new economic zone of 3.6 million people with a combined GDP of 190 trillion won ($131.5 billion).

The idea of merging Daejeon and South Chungcheong dates back to November 2024, raised by then-ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers, as part of broader efforts to decentralize administrative power and stimulate regional growth. Proponents argue that integration could streamline governance and boost economic competitiveness, while critics see it as a politically motivated plan lacking public consensus or proven benefit.

The current ruling Democratic Party (DP) has launched a special committee focused on development in the Chungcheong region and aims to pass related legislation by March. South Chungcheong Gov. Kim Tae-heum and Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo also met on Dec. 24, 2025, to discuss the proposal.

An online community with about 64,500 members conducted a poll on the merger through Dec. 28, 2025. As of 9 a.m. on Dec. 26, 2025, 2,170 people had voted, with 85.4 percent opposing, 11.8 percent in favor and 2.8 percent abstaining.

A person looks over promotional materials for the proposed administrative merger of Daejeon and South Chungcheong during a briefing session and civic unity rally held at the main auditorium of Daejeon City Hall on Dec. 12, 2025. [NEWS1]

“Rushing into a major administrative overhaul just because the president mentioned it will only harm Daejeon,” a member wrote in a post. Others warned that the city could lose its metropolitan status and expressed concerns that government agencies in Daejeon could be relocated to South Chungcheong.

Many called for a thorough study and full public consultation before any decision is made, while some downright opposed the discussion entirely.

“If Daejeon and South Chungcheong are merged, it would virtually mean that Daejeon is absorbed by the province,” another member wrote. “There are widespread rumors that the administration is pursuing this to benefit a specific ruling party politician.”

The PPP has accused the DP and the government of pushing the merger under the pretext of addressing population decline outside the greater Seoul area, claiming the true aim is to gain an electoral advantage ahead of this year’s local elections.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced earlier this month that it has set July 1, 2026, as the target date for the merger, which would allow the new administrative head to be elected during the June local elections and assume office immediately afterward. PPP Rep. Kim Do-eup suggested the timeline may have been designed with presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik in mind as a potential candidate to lead the new entity.

Opposing views of the integration are also spreading in local parenting communities, and the Daejeon Metropolitan Council has received over 340 petitions on its website since Dec. 21, 2025, calling for a vote or scrapping the merger entirely.

Education experts have raised concerns about potential impacts on education autonomy, including how superintendents are elected, audit-related authority and special exceptions for school operations.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, center, joins attendees urging the National Assembly to pass a special law on the Daejeon-South Chungcheong administrative merger at the main auditorium of Daejeon City Hall on Dec. 12, 2025. [NEWS1]

Local civic groups are also pushing back against what they see as a top-down initiative from the central government and political parties. In a statement from Dec. 18, 2025, the Daejeon People’s Solidarity Participatory Democracy acknowledged the need to overhaul administrative structures in response to population and regional decline. However, it criticized the current process for “predetermining the outcome as integration and pushing forward rapidly based on political interests.”

Other groups, including the Daejeon and Cheonan-Asan branches of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, warned that “any administrative merger that ignores the will of the people is unacceptable.”

“Ordinary citizens lack basic information about how the merger would change things or what risks it carries,” said Kim Jae-seop, secretary-general of the Daejeon coalition, calling for public hearings, debates and a referendum to ensure fair regional development and long-term sustainability.

A representative from the South Chungcheong civic coalition criticized DP lawmakers for changing their stance after the president’s remarks.

South Chungcheong Gov. Kim Tae-heum, right, and Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo shake hands ahead of a meeting on the proposed administrative merger of Daejeon and South Chungcheong at the South Chungcheong Provincial Government Office on the morning of Dec. 24, 2025. [NEWS1]

“It feels like the merger is being politicized to fit the election calendar,” the representative said, adding that integration could shift administrative power to Daejeon while leaving coastal and rural areas of South Chungcheong behind.

“If we keep pace with the government’s timeline, we risk leaving the public out of the process,” DP Rep. Chang Jong-tae of Daejeon said, calling for a citizen-led forum to determine key issues, including the name and location of the new government complex. Former Daejeon Mayor Kwon Sun-taik echoed the call, saying a formal public debate process is essential while proposing a bipartisan consultative body.

Kwak Hyun-geun, a professor of public administration at Daejeon University, dismissed the merger as “an outdated approach” to solving large-scale regional issues like transportation, health care and environmental management. He argued that rather than structural integration, Daejeon and South Chungcheong should strengthen functional cooperation on shared challenges.

“Simply merging two regions won’t solve Daejeon’s urban development challenges or South Chungcheong’s concerns over regional imbalances and urban-rural disparities,” Prof. Kwak said, adding that the current plan fails to account for the risks of expanded bureaucracy and increased social and economic conflicts.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM BANG-HYUN, CHOI JONG-KWON [[email protected]]