Kim Jin-tae, governor of Gangwon, said this in an interview with ChosunBiz at the Gangwon Provincial Government in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on the 6th. He pointed out that while the Gangwon Special Act amendment has been stuck in the National Assembly for more than a year and a half, the Jeonnam-Gwangju administrative integration special law was completed from introduction to promulgation in a month.
Kim said, "I'm not opposed to administrative integration itself, but it is being pushed through too hastily," adding, "There is no precedent for completing a review of 1,190 provisions in three days." Kim said, "Even the lawmakers who reviewed what functions and powers were included in the administrative integration special law would have found it hard to fully grasp."
On Feb. 3, Floor Leader Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party of Korea introduced the "Jeonnam-Gwangju Integration Special Act," which passed the National Assembly plenary session on Mar. 1. It was then sent to the government on the 4th and promulgated on the 5th. The process was completed in just a month from introduction to promulgation. The earlier precursor to the integration special law, the "Special Act on Establishing a Jeonnam-Gwangju Superwide Special Local Government" (introduced by Rep. Chung Joon-ho), was first introduced in Nov. last year.
By contrast, the Gangwon Special Act amendment has been pending in the National Assembly for 18 months.
Kim said, "This is why I had no choice but to shave my head," adding, "On the Gangwon Special Act, the Jeonnam-Gwangju special law engaged in 'cutting the line, copying, and deleting.'" Kim said, "It's frustrating enough that they cut the line and move first, but now they are saying they will provide 20 trillion won in support and give public institutions priority allocation, which makes my blood boil."
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the government and the ruling party. Kim said, "The government and ruling party seem to have no interest in Gangwon at all," adding, "They didn't even care about handling the Gangwon Special Act amendment, and only after we held a rally and I went so far as to shave my head do they seem to be thinking, 'We should probably do something.'"
Kim stressed that the Gangwon Special Act amendment is not a politically contentious bill. He said, "The special act amendment is a noncontroversial bill that has completed all interagency consultations," adding, "We're not asking for more money or throwing a tantrum." He continued, "If they would at least explain why they're not handling it, we could accept it, but they won't even tell us the reason."
Kim said, "The Gangwon Special Act amendment is an institutional supplement for Gangwon's future," adding, "It includes additional deregulation and devolution of authority to flesh out the vision of a 'future industry global city.'" He added, "The longer the delay, the further Gangwon falls behind and misses the golden time for development." The following is a Q&A with Kim.
—It has been about a month since you shaved your head in protest. Why did you go as far as shaving your head?
"This is the third amendment. Even during the second special act amendment in 2023, the National Assembly showed little interest. We staged a sit-in then, and a similar situation has continued this time. It is nearing two years since the third special act was introduced, and there has been no response to residents' aspirations. I couldn't stand by and watch residents say they would shave their heads, so I did it instead."
—What does the third amendment include?
"It reflects the legislative tasks of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. The core is additional deregulation and devolution of authority to flesh out the vision of a 'future industry global city.' We eased building-to-land ratios and floor area ratios when designating forest use promotion zones and rural vitality promotion zones, and strengthened the province's authority on the four major regulations (farmland, forests, environment, and military), such as expanding the scope for proposing the easing of military regulations. It also delegates to the governor the authority to sell coal aggregate, eases R&D corporations' self-funding requirements, and relaxes regulations related to foreigner entry and permanent residency."
—Handling of the Gangwon Special Act is delayed, but the Jeonnam-Gwangju administrative integration special law moved ahead at speed.
"Isn't it common sense to handle the bill that was introduced first? It also violates the National Assembly's first-in, first-out principle. Moreover, the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration special law effectively 'copy-and-pasted' provisions from the Gangwon Special Act. It took over 22 provisions from the Gangwon Special Act's four major regulatory special cases (farmland, forests, environment, and military) as is. To keep balance, the special cases included in the integration special law should also be reflected in the Gangwon Special Act."
—The government and ruling party say they will concentrate support on the integrated local government.
"They say they will concentrate fiscal support and allocate public institutions there first. But budgets and public institutions are limited. If you focus support on one place, other regions will inevitably be left out. It's a classic zero-sum structure. If you concentrate limited resources on one side, the share for other regions will inevitably shrink."
—What is your view on integrating metropolitan local governments?
"I'm not against administrative integration itself. I just want to point out that the process is being rushed too hastily. Gangwon has run its feet off to secure 10 trillion won in national funds. But they say they will give 20 trillion won just for integrating. There isn't even an explanation of how they will finance it."
—Will the integration special law have any impact on Gangwon?
"Something shocking happened recently. The government suddenly opposed a provision in the Gangwon Special Act—on international schools. They referred to our law and inserted an international school provision into the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration special law, but after international schools were removed from that bill, they told us to take it out too. The government talks about a '5 poles and 3 specials' framework; if so, it invites the thought that residents of the five poles are first-class citizens and those of the three specials are second-class citizens."
—Is there strong local demand for international schools?
"There are quite a few voices saying they're needed. Looking at Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, there is an assessment that international schools played a role in regional development."
—Why do you think they oppose it?
"I believe it's because the Democratic Party of Korea holds a negative view of international schools."
—Since becoming a special self-governing province, what regulations have actually been eased?
"We eased farmland regulations to a significant extent—about 500,000 pyeong by size. For example, in Cheorwon, the ratio of absolute farmland reached 105% of all farmland, which meant even non-cultivated land or entire villages were tied up as absolute farmland. We are correcting such irrational regulations. We also designated forest use promotion zones to relax mountain area regulations, and are pushing tourism, experiential, and regional development projects through them. We also gained the legal right to propose lifting military regulations, which enabled moving the civilian control line northward and easing controlled protection zones."
—Do you expect the Gangwon Special Act to be amended in the next National Assembly?
"As promised, I will watch with confidence that the Gangwon Special Act will be handled swiftly. Hair will grow back, but if Gangwon falls behind once, it can miss the golden time for development. In Mar., the National Assembly must conduct the review and reach a conclusion."