Democratic Party studies the public response to incorporation of Gimpo, “Did the party really succeed Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun?”

Democratic Party lawmakers fire away: Democratic Party of Korea legislators representing districts in Gimpo announce their position on the People Power Party’s proposal to incorporate Gimpo into Seoul at a press conference at the National Assembly on November 5. Yonhap News

On November 5, the Democratic Party of Korea legislators representing districts in Gimpo, Gyeonggi held a press conference and criticized the People Power Party (PPP) and their proposal to incorporate Gimpo into Seoul as “a show for the parliamentary elections.” The local representatives announced their positions six days after the PPP made the proposal.

The Democratic Party lawmakers attacked the plan claiming that it would reduce the budget and increase taxes of Gimpo-si, but they did not oppose the proposal. This led to responses that the press conference showed the reality of the Democratic Party, which is busy studying the public response while maintaining a vague position. More and more people criticized that the Democratic Party, which promoted decentralization, should clearly state their opposition.

Democratic Party legislators Kim Ju-young (Gimpo-gap) and Park Sang-hyuk (Gimpo-eul) held a press conference at the National Assembly Sunday and urged PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon, who is promoting the incorporation of Gimpo into Seoul, and PPP lawmaker Cho Kyoung-tae, who chairs a special committee related to the issue, to “run in Gimpo in next year’s parliamentary elections” and “to properly engage in a fierce competition in Gimpo,” if the two men were not bluffing.

The Democratic Party lawmakers criticized that if the city was incorporated into Seoul, the authority of Gimpo as a special city would be reduced to that of one autonomous district under Seoul, and the city would lose jurisdiction over urban planning. The budget would be cut by hundreds of billions of won and the taxes imposed on the citizens would also increase, according to the lawmakers. They argued that the Gimpo citizens were calling for transportation solutions first and that they opposed becoming a part of Seoul in appearance only while ending up treating the waste from the capital city. They demanded improvements in transportation, while making it clear that Seoul would not be able to relocate NIMBYs to Gimpo.

But the two legislators did not clearly state their position on the proposal. Kim met with reporters after the press conference and said, “We should calmly listen to the opinions of the citizens after the parliamentary elections, and when we identify the pros and cons--what advantages there are in becoming part of Seoul and what advantages there are when we remain as Gimpo-si--we should transparently release them to our citizens and let them choose.”

The Democratic Party leadership is also sparing their words. Even the party leader, Lee Jae-myung has not announced a clear position unlike six years ago, when he, then mayor of Seongnam, clearly stated his opposition to a “Seoul metropolitan province,” suggested by Nam Kyung-pil, the Gyeonggi governor. The party’s floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo argued that the extension of Seoul Metro lines five and nine should come first, without announcing his position on the incorporation.

A recent poll showed that more people opposed the incorporation, but more than a few local residents want to be incorporated into the capital city. So if the lawmakers are not careful in drawing the line, it could work against them.

However, voices from inside the party are calling for the Democratic Party to clearly state its position. Former leader Lee Nak-yon (Nak-yeon) wrote on social media on Saturday, “The incorporation of Gimpo into Seoul is a gamble,” and added, “We are not being confident as the opposition party by not stating our support or opposition and by not presenting a clear alternative. They might be refusing to dance to the ruling party’s tune, but that won’t put an end to this affair.”

“It’s not an issue on which we should awkwardly study the public reaction. We need to quickly and firmly determine our position,” lawmaker Youn Kun-young wrote on Facebook on November 3, adding, “As the shamelessness and irresponsibility of the government and PPP run to extremes, the Democratic Party should shout more loudly the value of balanced national development.” Legislator Kim Du-kwan also wrote on Facebook on November 2, “I wonder if the Democratic Party is really the party that succeeded the spirits of Kim Dae-jung, who launched local autonomy, and Roh Moo-hyun, who paved the way toward balanced development.”