Kim Tae-heum, the South Chungcheong governor, reaffirmed opposition to the administrative integration incentives the government recently released and urged President Lee Jae-myung to present concrete guidelines for genuine local autonomy and decentralization.
At a bureau and agency chiefs meeting on the 19th, Kim said, "Considering the president's experience serving as Gyeonggi governor, I hope he will present guidelines so that genuine local autonomy and decentralization can be achieved," adding, "This issue will be resolved only if the president makes a decision."
Regarding the administrative integration incentive plan the government released on the 17th, Kim said, "I cannot accept it and I oppose it." The government plan includes four years of annual 5 trillion won in fiscal support for the integrated special city and granting a status equivalent to that of Seoul Special City.
On this, Kim said, "Plans to transfer real authority for local autonomy and fiscal powers are missing," adding, "For finances, it amounts to only half of the 880 billion won in corporate taxes, capital gains taxes, and value-added taxes requested every year. A four-year stopgap is sugarcoating, like steamed buns without filling."
On the transfer of authority, he pointed out that key local decentralization issues such as exemption from preliminary feasibility studies, designation of national industrial complexes, and lifting of agricultural promotion areas were not included.
Regarding Gwangju and South Jeolla welcoming the government plan, Kim asked, "If it is given for only a few years and then cut off, will genuine local autonomy and decentralization be achieved?"
He added, "During the integration process, when it came to introducing and pushing bills, (the Democratic Party) was passive and opposed them, but the process suddenly sped up with a single remark by the president," and, "This should proceed through bipartisan discussions in the National Assembly; we cannot accept a process driven only by the Democratic Party."