Min Hyung-bae has been elected as the first mayor of the newly integrated Gwangju-Jeonnam special city following recent local elections [1].
The integration marks the first administrative merger of its kind in 40 years [1]. By combining the two regions, South Korea aims to promote local growth and create a fiscal powerhouse capable of competing with the dominant Seoul and Gyeonggi regions [1].
The new special city will serve a population of approximately 3.2 million people [1]. This consolidation provides the region with a massive financial footprint, featuring an annual budget of 25 trillion won [1]. This budget places the integrated city third in the nation in terms of fiscal size, trailing only Seoul and Gyeonggi [1].
Along with the mayoral election, voters selected Kim Dae-jung as the integrated education superintendent [1]. The dual appointments establish the foundational leadership for the city's administrative, and academic governance.
Min Hyung-bae said he will make the "overwhelming growth" of Gwangju and Jeonnam a reality [1]. The mayor said he is committed to establishing a larger, more influential regional entity through this integration [1].
The move is designed to shift the economic balance of the country by empowering regional hubs to lead their own development [1]. By pooling resources and administrative authority, the special city intends to attract more investment and reduce the systemic reliance on the capital region [1].
“The integration, the first in 40 years, is intended to promote regional growth.”
The creation of the Gwangju-Jeonnam special city represents a strategic attempt by South Korea to decentralize power and wealth from the Seoul metropolitan area. By creating a third-largest fiscal entity, the government is testing whether administrative scaling can reverse regional population decline and stimulate economic autonomy in the southern provinces.
