Lawmakers from the People Power Party with constituencies in Daegu have agreed to push for an administrative merger of Daegu and North Gyeongsang, alongside Gwangju and South Jeolla. Depending on the views of lawmakers from North Gyeongsang, passage of a special law on the Daegu–North Gyeongsang administrative integration is seen as likely to gain rapid momentum.
Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party, a former Daegu mayor, said as he left the senior deputy floor leader's office on the morning of the 26th, "There are parts (of the special law) that are insufficient and concerning, but I asked the leadership to ensure it is passed together with the South Jeolla–Gwangju bill," adding, "The leadership resolved to negotiate actively with the Democratic Party."
Kwon said, "You can consider the Daegu constituency lawmakers to be unanimous (on the integration)," and explained, "There were people who were worried and concerned during the discussions, but in the end all the lawmakers requested it."
Regarding how the consensus was formed, he added, "We did not hold a vote," and said all 12 agreed to pursue integration before the local elections.
Lawmakers from North Gyeongsang are also meeting separately today to discuss the Daegu–North Gyeongsang administrative integration. Song Eon-seog, the People Power Party floor leader whose constituency is Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, is maintaining a "cautious" stance that public opinion must be gathered. In particular, in northern North Gyeongsang, including Andong, concerns are said to be high that the region could be marginalized after integration.