The People Power Party on the 3rd criticized the government's released "principles and direction for the second transfer of public institutions to the provinces," saying, "There are only declarations, and plans for funding measures are missing."
Choi Su-jin, the People Power Party's senior deputy spokesperson at the floor, said in a commentary that "we agree with the direction of balanced national development, but this release ended up as a declaration of principles with no institutions, regions, or scale for the transfer confirmed at all."
Choi added, "The bigger problem is that there is no proper assessment and reflection on the failure of the first transfer of public institutions," noting, "The government itself has acknowledged that the effect of the first transfer was limited to areas near innovation cities and that since 2023 the population has turned to net outflow. With only the slogan 'we will send them all at once,' the same failure will only be repeated."
Choi said, "If you rush with stopgaps such as renting private buildings, it could lead to showcase administration that is pushed through without sufficient consultation with labor and local governments," adding, "The government should disclose funding plans transparently and communicate fully with local communities and labor."
Criticism also continued over the release of plans to unify overlapping or similar functions of some public institutions and to merge small institutions.
Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party said on Facebook, "If you push only integration without targets for headcount, labor costs, and liability reduction, it could end in 'bloating through integration,'" adding, "Present a reform plan that truly cuts to the bone, not reform in words only."
Yoon also argued, "The port authority integration plan that would convert the Incheon Port Authority (IPA) into a regional branch should be reviewed from square one, because each authority has different hinterland industries, logistics demand, and growth strategies."