Gwangju's Five District Mayors Support Converting Autonomous Districts to Cities: "This Is Not the Dismantling of Gwangju"

"Not Dividing Gwangju, but Strengthening Self-Governance Capacity"
Emphasis on Balanced Development Among 27 Local Governments

District mayors from the five autonomous districts of Gwangju in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City have officially expressed support for the proposed amendment to the special law that would convert the five autonomous districts into "cities."

On August 10, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City District Mayors' Association issued a statement welcoming the proposed amendment to the special law, which calls for converting the five autonomous districts of Gwangju into cities. The proposed bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Yang Bu-nam.

The District Mayors' Association defined this amendment not simply as a matter of changing the administrative name from "gu" (district) to "si" (city), but as an institutional starting point to resolve disparities in autonomy and fiscal capacity among the 27 basic local governments following the unification.

Jeonnam Gwangju Seogu District Office exterior.

The Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City currently consists of a total of 27 basic local governments: 22 cities and counties from the former Jeonnam region and five autonomous districts from the Gwangju region. The Association pointed out that, although these government entities fall under the same unified metropolitan city, there are significant differences in authority, work, and financial structures between cities/counties and autonomous districts. In particular, the Association argued that these differences in financial structures, such as local allocation tax distributions, have a direct impact not only on the available resources of local governments but also on their capacity to implement regional development projects.

The Association emphasized, "It goes against both the spirit of unification and the principle of autonomy if citizens of the same unified metropolitan city have different levels of autonomy and fiscal resources depending on where they live. True integration only happens if we also address the disparities in autonomy and fiscal resources after unification."

The Association also firmly rejected the argument that converting the five autonomous districts into cities would lead to the "division or dismantling of Gwangju." They argued that, even after the conversion, the five will continue to exist as constituent basic local governments within the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City, so this is fundamentally different from splitting Gwangju into five separate entities.

The Association clarified, "We are not proposing to split Gwangju into five parts; rather, we aim to strengthen the self-governance capabilities of the five regions within a larger Gwangju. The role and authority of the unified metropolitan city should be focused on managing large-scale administrative affairs, while the basic local governments are entrusted with the close-to-daily-life administration of residents."

The Association also addressed concerns over possible damage to Gwangju’s historical and cultural identity.

The Association highlighted that Gwangju has evolved administratively from Jeollanam-do Gwangju City, to Gwangju Direct-Controlled City, to Gwangju Metropolitan City, and now to the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City. They stressed that changes in administrative structure and Gwangju’s history and spirit are separate issues, insisting that the values of Gwangju—democracy, human rights, peace, and solidarity—must be continued with Jeonnam and expanded into a larger community.

The main rationale for the conversion to city status is to strengthen autonomy and fiscal authority closely linked to citizens’ daily lives.

According to the Association, expanding the authority and financial capacity of basic local governments would allow policies directly affecting residents—ranging from local economies and jobs to transportation, parking, welfare, care, education, culture, living SOC (social overhead capital), and urban environment—to be decided and implemented more swiftly and appropriately in line with the characteristics of each region.

The need to redefine roles between the metropolitan and basic local governments was also stressed. The Association argued that the unified metropolitan city should take charge of large-scale administrative matters, such as transportation, industry, environment, and balanced development, while the 27 basic local governments should handle affairs closely related to residents’ daily lives.

The five district mayors of Gwangju have previously built consensus on the necessity of the conversion to city status and have formally recommended amending the special law.

Kim Ikang, President of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City District Mayors' Association (and Mayor of Seogu District), stated, “Gwangju isn’t disappearing—it has grown larger. The goal is not to divide Gwangju, but to reinforce local autonomy. I hope that converting the five autonomous districts to cities becomes a new starting point for balanced autonomy and administrative services for all citizens, regardless of where they live, as the 27 basic local governments grow together within the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City.”

Meanwhile, the District Mayors' Association plans to gather citizen opinions and respond collaboratively to support the National Assembly’s legislative discussions and the passage of the proposed amendment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.