President Lee Jae-myung will invite lawmakers from the Gwangju and South Jeolla regions to the presidential office on the 9th for a luncheon meeting.
The presidential office Spokesperson's office announced the schedule on the 4th in a notice to the press. The meeting was arranged after the president recently mentioned the possibility of an administrative merger between Gwangju and South Jeolla. At the meeting, the president is expected to listen broadly to opinions on overall regional issues, including an administrative merger of Gwangju and South Jeolla, responses to regional extinction, and growth strategies by region.
Earlier, starting with the Daejeon and South Chungcheong regions, the president publicly raised discussions on integrating metropolitan governments and has emphasized the need to restructure local government. In particular, on the 2nd, the president directly mentioned the possibility of a Gwangju–South Jeolla merger via social media (SNS).
The president said, "What once seemed difficult—integrating metropolitan governments—is gaining some momentum," and added, "It seems public opinion is coalescing around the need to overcome the single-polar capital area system and open a new path of 'region-led growth.'" The president also said Gwangju and South Jeolla have formed an administrative merger task force and are ramping up discussions.