100 days since the launch of Jeonnam Gwangju Unified Special City, achievements and challenges coexist

The initial journey of the reunion 40 years after the separation of Gwangju and Jeonnam in 1986 and the launch of Jeonnam Gwangju Unified Special City was a thorny path.

The purpose and opportunity to create economies of scale and maximize administrative efficiency by administering a metropolitan area with a population of 3.2 million are still valid, but conflict factors that had been hidden in the cause of integration emerged one after another immediately after its launch.

Before integration, conflicts of interest and sub-regionalism in the three regions, including the eastern and western regions of Jeollanam-do and the Gwangju region, were expressed regardless of public officials and citizens.

As NIMBY and PIMFY emerged, saying, 'You should own public facilities, and we should own profit facilities,' there was also criticism that voices of conflict were feeling the unifying influence that was not felt in daily life.

The question of which of the government buildings in Gwangju (Gwangju City Hall), Muan (Jeonnam Provincial Office), and Suncheon (Jeonnam Provincial Government Office) to be the state office was a symbolic issue of conflict that pervaded before and after unification.

With the establishment of a balanced management policy in which there is no state capitol and all are state capitols, the argument for attracting each region gradually died down, but the spirit of conflict shifted to the allocation of functions in the process of reorganization for integrated administration.

The request was to hand over key departments called 'institution maintenance functions' such as planning, budget, and personnel.

Gwangju and Jeonnam government officials gathered in the lobby of each building and held a resolution meeting, civil society groups in the eastern and western regions held a press conference, and a wreath was placed in front of the Gwangju government building to symbolize 'Gwangju is dead.'

Mokpo University and Suncheon National University clashed over the national medical school, dividing the eastern and western parts of Jeollanam-do. Protests by local government heads and members of the National Assembly appeared on both sides.

After many twists and turns, the Unified City selected Suncheon National University as a candidate university, but due to Mokpo University's application for suspension of execution, it is in a situation where it has to go beyond the scope of political and administrative coordination and rely on the power of the law to resolve the matter.

There were also claims that Jeonnam residents were harmed in the process of relieving the financial burden of the former Gwangju City's local debt and other financial burdens.

Gwangju's five autonomous districts have less administrative or financial authority than the 22 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do, so they demand that their autonomy be strengthened and they be raised to equal status.

A law amendment to replace autonomous districts with cities was also proposed, but civil society expressed opposition that it would weaken the single city identity of Gwangju.

In line with the expectation that the Gwangju-centered regional development structure, such as the 'straw effect' or 'black hole phenomenon', will be solidified due to the promotion of large-scale semiconductor fab construction projects, concerns about alienation and polarization in the Jeonnam region are also growing.

In the process of 'competition to attract' public institutions that are about to be relocated for the second time, and 'competition to push out' facilities that are avoided such as military airports and public resource facilities, the integrated city's ability to efficiently allocate social resources seems urgent.

An official from the integrated city said, "It cannot be concluded that large-scale semiconductor investment has been achieved through integration, but it is clear that a historical opportunity to change the future of the region has come with integration," and added, "I think we need to calmly find a way to shorten the period of pain, which is like a rite of passage, as much as possible and maximize the effect of integration through balanced and shared growth within the region that goes beyond sub-regionalism."

The semiconductor wastewater treatment agreement between Unified City and Jangseong-gun on the 18th of last month is evaluated as an example of integrated administration in which district boundaries have disappeared.

Amkor Technology Korea, which announced an investment plan of 1 trillion won last June, asked about a plan to treat the 5,500 tons of wastewater per day required for large-scale additional investment.

Unified City and Jangseong-gun decided to connect the Jangseong Public Wastewater Treatment Plant instead of the Gwangju No. 1 Sewage Treatment Plant, which has reached its limit of treatment capacity.

It took two days to negotiate and reach an agreement.

Unified Mayor Min Hyeong-bae said, "Negotiations can normally take several months, or up to a year," and added, "We have confirmed the power of integration. As administrative barriers are removed, the speed at which we respond to corporate requests will change."