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Assembly committee passes Gwangju-South Jeolla integration bill, puts other integration bills on hold

Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 17:01

The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair Rep. Choo Mi-ae, far left, bangs the gavel to declare the passage of a special bill on the integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla, as People Power Party lawmakers shout in protest, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Feb. 24. [YONHAP]

The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed a special bill on Tuesday on the integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla, while placing similar integration bills for other regions on hold. Whether heads of integrated metropolitan governments can be elected before the June local elections remains uncertain.

The bill was approved during a plenary session of the committee after the Democratic Party (DP) put only the Gwangju–South Jeolla integration measure to a vote by a show of hands. People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers objected to the move.

Special bills on the integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang and of Daejeon and South Chungcheong were not put to a vote amid local opposition and the absence of bipartisan agreement.

Amendments to the Local Autonomy Act and the Referendum Act related to administrative integration were also passed after PPP lawmakers walked out. The measures are scheduled to be submitted to the plenary session later on Tuesday.

The administrative integration bill on Gwangju-South Jeolla grants the newly established special metropolitan city a status comparable to Seoul. It expands fiscal support and autonomy in education and administrative affairs.

The Gwangju–South Jeolla bill includes provisions to prioritize support for the shipbuilding industry and promote democratic citizenship education. If approved at the plenary session, an election for the integrated mayor or governor would be held during the June local elections, and the special metropolitan city would be launched in July.

The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair Rep. Choo Mi-ae, center, presides over a committee meeting on the passage of a special bill on the integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Feb. 24. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

“Integration of cities and provinces requires residents’ support,” committee chair Rep. Choo Mi-ae said during the meeting. “Governors who initially supported the Daejeon–South Chungcheong integration are now opposed, and I understand that the Daegu City Council has expressed opposition to the Daegu–North Gyeongsang plan.”

“We will listen further to opinions on local conditions and discuss the matter later,” Choo said. “We would like for the PPP to express its views, but its lawmakers are avoiding it.”

Choo placed responsibility for the stalled integration efforts on the opposition, as did other DP lawmakers. PPP lawmakers, in turn, said the DP was pushing the bill unilaterally.

“We have concerns about discriminatory elements in the Daejeon–South Chungcheong plan compared with the Gwangju–South Jeolla case,” said PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won. “The DP is advancing integration without sufficient consultation with residents.”

People Power Party lawmakers, including Rep. Na Kyung-won, second from right, speak during a press conference protesting the delay of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Feb. 24. [YONHAP]

DP Rep. Jang Kyung-tae countered that “discussions on administrative integration had been pursued actively under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration and by the PPP.”

Some political observers described it as unexpected that the DP chose to handle only the Gwangju–South Jeolla bill first.

Although the Daejeon–South Chungcheong plan has faced opposition from South Chungcheong Gov. Kim Tae-heum and Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, both from the PPP, the Daegu–North Gyeongsang case had shown a somewhat different dynamic.

North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and lawmakers from the Daegu–North Gyeongsang region have supported the administrative integration in principle, despite arguing that it “disproportionately affects support compared to Gwangju and South Jeolla.”

Several PPP lawmakers from the Daegu–North Gyeongsang region voiced support for integration at a closed-door general meeting on Feb. 12. The opportunity should not be discarded even if conditions were not ideal, PPP Reps. Joo Ho-young and Kwon Young-jin argued.

Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho speaks during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Feb. 24. [NEWS1]

“The ruling party appears to be using the Daegu–North Gyeongsang proposal in negotiations over the Daejeon–South Chungcheong plan,” a PPP official said.

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee also postponed deliberation on a proposed amendment to the Amnesty Act that would restrict presidential pardons in cases involving insurrection or foreign collusion crimes.

“The Blue House and the Ministry of Justice have expressed the view that careful discussion was needed regarding a bill limiting presidential authority,” Rep. Choo said.

The amendment, which passed a subcommittee on Friday, would, in principle, prohibit presidential pardons for the crimes of insurrection and foreign collusion. Exceptions would require the consent of at least three-fifths of the National Assembly.

“The government is reviewing whether the provision requiring parliamentary consent could face constitutional challenges,” a DP official said.

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 PARK TAE-IN, OH SO-YEONG [[email protected]]