Mayor Kim Ikang: "Conversion of Gwangju's Five Autonomous Districts into Cities... Addressing Gaps in Finance and Authority"

“Suncheon Receives 550 Billion Won in General Grants... Seo-gu and Other Autonomous Districts Get ‘Zero’”
“Not the Dismantling of Gwangju, but Strengthening Local Autonomy... Public Discussion and Gathering of Opinions Needed”

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam Province, emphasized the need to convert Gwangju’s five autonomous districts into cities and called for addressing the financial and administrative authority gaps among local governments within the integrated metropolitan city.

On August 11, Mayor Kim posted on his Facebook page an article titled “Why Should the Five Autonomous Districts Be Converted into Cities?” In this post, he shared his stance regarding the recent amendment to the special law, led by Assemblyman Yang Bunam, aimed at converting Gwangju’s five autonomous districts into cities.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo District, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam, recently met with local residents who visited to eat Cheonwon Guksi, sharing casual stories about the area. Screenshot from Mayor Kim Ikang's Facebook.

Mayor Kim first explained, “Although Gwangju and Jeonnam have merged into a single integrated metropolitan city, the 22 cities and counties and the 5 autonomous districts within it differ in terms of authority, work responsibilities, and financial structure,” adding that the central issue in the discussion on city conversion is to resolve the structural disparities among basic-level local governments.

He cited Seo-gu and Suncheon as representative examples.

Although both regions have similar populations of approximately 275,000 people, Suncheon receives about 550 billion won in general grants from the government each year. In contrast, Seo-gu and the other four autonomous districts of Gwangju, classified as autonomous districts within a metropolitan administrative system, do not receive these general grants directly from the government.

Mayor Kim stated, “Differences in financial structures, including local grants, lead to disparities in resources available for residents and in the ability to promote local development projects. It is difficult to call it a true integration if there are differences in what local governments can do and the administrative services residents receive, depending on where they live within the same integrated metropolitan city.”

He further explained that these structural differences are the reason the five district mayors in Gwangju have united in support of converting the autonomous districts into cities.

Mayor Kim clarified, “The intention is to start with balanced conditions among the 27 basic-level local governments by converting the autonomous districts into cities. This is not a discussion to expand the authority of individual district mayors.”

He explained that the powers and finances secured through city conversion would be used for the residents, not the mayors, and that this would be utilized to enhance the capacity of local governments in areas closely related to residents' daily lives, including welfare, care, the neighborhood economy, and living environments.

He also refuted recent concerns expressed in some quarters about the “dismantling of Gwangju” or the “loss of Gwangju’s identity.”

Mayor Kim emphasized, “It’s not enough to just expand the scale of integration. Citizens’ rights must also be enhanced and the autonomy capabilities of the region should grow together. Gwangju is not disappearing; it has become greater, and this larger Gwangju requires even stronger local autonomy.”

He also stated that since the amendment to the special law has been proposed, ample public discussion and citizen feedback will be necessary in the future city conversion process.

He said, “Some people actively welcome the conversion to autonomous cities, while others worry about Gwangju’s dismantling, loss of identity, or hasty implementation. From now on, there needs to be sufficient explanation, debate, public discussion, and the collection of citizens’ opinions.” He added, “We will talk thoroughly with citizens, address concerns, and improve any shortcomings. Ultimately, we will judge everything by the single criterion of what is best for the citizens.”

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