With the launch of Jeonnam Gwangju Special City slated for July, the heads of local governments subject to the administrative merger are signaling opposing views over the location of the "main government building." Gwangju says a main government building is meaningless and that the existing government buildings should be used as they are, while Jeonnam argues it should be decided after gathering public opinion.
Jeonnam Gov. Kim Yung-rok said on the 9th that the location of the main government building "should be decided after gathering public opinion through a public deliberation committee," speaking with reporters at the provincial office ahead of registering as a preliminary candidate for Jeonnam Gwangju Special Mayor of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Kim said, "I will state a concrete position after winning the (Democratic Party) primary," but also noted, "No matter how excellent the decision, if the special mayor decides unilaterally, there could be side effects."
This is the exact opposite stance from Gwangju, which is proceeding with the administrative merger together with Jeonnam. Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung held a press conference at City Hall on the 4th and said regarding the main government building issue, "We should keep using the current Gwangju government building (Sangmu District), the Jeonnam government building (Namak, Muan), and the Eastern Government Building (Suncheon) as they are."
He added, "The useless term 'main government building' should be scrapped," and said, "Faced with the existential crisis of regional extinction, we cannot waste time on the main government building issue, so we must maintain the current Gwangju, Muan, and Suncheon government buildings."
Kang, however, said each government building should be given a key role. He said, "Gwangju has no choice but to be the administrative center. In Gwangju, we will place the function of establishing and coordinating the overall future strategy of the special city," adding, "It is also necessary to strengthen the status of the Eastern Government Building. To enable the eastern region to take charge of the real economy of the integrated special city, the Eastern Government Building should be elevated to a 'metropolitan administrative office' focused on the economy."