Kim Dong-yeon, “Trying to incorporate more local governments adjacent Seoul into the capital city is trying to cover up a scam with another scam”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon head toward the conference room for a meeting of the local government chiefs of Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on November 16. Kwon Do-hyun

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon drew the line on the incorporation of Gimpo into Seoul on November 17 saying, “It’s not likely to happen.” He criticized the idea of incorporating more neighboring cities like Guri and Hanam into Seoul, calling it an attempt to “cover up a scam with another scam.”

Governor Kim made the comments on the CBS radio show, Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show, Friday. The Gyeonggi governor met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok for an hour on Thursday, and the three exchanged thoughts on the “Seoul megacity.”

“From the start, the Seoul megacity was a topic where there could be no common ground,” Governor Kim said. He argued that the megacity was essentially an effort to turn the single Seoul-centered nation into a multi-centered nation and claimed that there was a fault in the basic nature of the megacity.

“We need megacities in other regions to create multiple centers nationwide,” he said, adding, “We need to build Gwangju, Honam; Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do; Chungcheong; and Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do into megacities. We also need a plan to develop smaller cities and, in the long term, even rural areas.”

Kim Dong-yeon asked, “Is this for the Gimpo citizens or for the elections now five to six months away?” and pointed out, “If it is for the citizens of Gimpo, then they should first decide on the extension of Seoul Metro Line 5, which is the biggest issue at present.”

The governor also spoke about the People Power Party (PPP) trying to expand the issue of incorporation into Seoul to other cities, such as Guri, Hanam and Gwangmyeong. “They showed the same pattern when speaking of the Yangpyeong expressway. It’s the same as saying ‘Let’s talk about economic efficiency,’ while ignoring the essence of the problem,” he said, criticizing, “It’s a political show. They are trying to trick the nation.”

As for the argument that Gimpo-si has opted to join Seoul instead of joining Gyeonggibuk-do (north Gyeonggi), Kim said, “As for Gimpo, I want to give them the choice to choose whether they join the north or the south.” He further said, “But the way we see it, in terms of the balanced development of our land, decentralization, and several future development plans, incorporation into Seoul is not an option.”

Gyeonggi-do requested a referendum on turning northern Gyeonggi into a special autonomous province, but the Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min opposed saying, “It will cost more than 50 billion won. We need to decide whether it is right to divide the province before a referendum.” To this the Gyeonggi governor refuted, “It doesn’t make sense since we’ve already gone through all the procedures for a referendum.” Kim stressed that the decision of the residents was important and criticized Lee’s views for ignoring the residents saying, “Their intentions can only be seen as political.”