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| 2023-11-13 15:32:01
mayors-megacity
Seoul, Guri mayors hold meeting on proposal to integrate 2 cities
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- The mayors of Seoul and the neighboring city of Guri held a meeting Monday to discuss the ruling party's proposal to integrate satellite cities into the capital under a megacity initiative.
The meeting between Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Guri Mayor Baek Kyung-hyeon marks the second of its kind that Oh has had on the megacity proposal following his meeting with the mayor of Gimpo a week earlier.
The ruling People Power Party has recently proposed merging Gimpo, a city northwest of Seoul with a population of about 490,000, into Seoul, saying it would be beneficial to both.
The party has also said other satellite cities in the capital region could be merged into Seoul if residents want it, and the Guri mayor followed up with a plan to seek his city's integration to be part of Seoul.
Critics view the megacity proposal as an attempt to rally voter support in the runup to the general elections in April.
During the meeting held at Seoul City Hall, Baek said he delivered his position that merging Guri with Seoul "could boost conveniences and benefits through various development projects at a time when it is very difficult for Guri, a micro city with a population of 190,000, to function properly as a self-sufficient city."
The Guri mayor, who is a member of the PPP, also told reporters that he would propose the party put forth a special legislation bill allowing his city to be merged into Seoul while retaining its own fiscal and administrative independence. Guri is located northeast of Seoul.
According to Seoul city officials, Oh responded by suggesting the formation of a joint study group to assess the pros and cons of the integration proposal and release the outcome to the cities' residents.
Following his meeting with the Gimpo mayor last week, Oh said he would initiate research into the idea of merging satellite cities into Seoul, adding the results of the analysis would be available around the year-end.
Oh is scheduled to hold a meeting with Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok on Thursday to discuss issues connected to the megacity proposal. Gyeonggi Province, with a population of over 14 million, surrounds Seoul, and Incheon is also a populous city, located 27 kilometers west of the capital.
"The discussion that began with Gimpo and Guri will be conducted regardless of the election and continue on even after the general elections," Oh was quoted as saying.
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