66.9% of Guri Residents Support Annexation into Seoul

[Suwon Ilbo=Um In-yong Reporter] Seven out of every ten Guri residents support annexation into Seoul.

Kim Wan-gyeom, head of Guri City's Administrative Support Bureau, announced the results of the 'public opinion survey on Seoul annexation' during a regular press briefing on the 8th.

The survey was commissioned to Embrain Public, a public opinion research specialist, to gather citizens' opinions on Seoul annexation and the division of northern Gyeonggi into a special autonomous province. The survey was conducted over six days from July 25 to July 30.

In response to the question "Which policy do you support more: Seoul annexation of Guri City or division into a special autonomous province of northern Gyeonggi?" among 700 respondents in the public opinion survey targeting Guri residents, 66.9% answered that they support Guri City's annexation into Seoul.

Support for the special autonomous province status of northern Gyeonggi was 13.4%, neither preference was 16.3%, and "don't know/no response" was 3.4%.

The most common reason cited for supporting Seoul annexation was infrastructure support including education, culture, and welfare projects at 28.4%, followed by resolution of traffic congestion through subway extensions and expanded bus routes at 22.9%.

The most common reason for opposing Seoul annexation was concerns about excessive concentration in Seoul at 41.5%.

Guri City Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun stated, "Through this public opinion survey, we found that more than two-thirds of Guri residents support Seoul annexation of Guri City," and added, "We plan to prepare a specialized research project to derive accurate and objective data on the impact of Seoul annexation on Guri City overall and the administrative and financial advantages and disadvantages, and we will do our best to ensure that Seoul annexation is pursued according to the wishes of Guri residents."

Meanwhile, the survey was conducted through telephone interviews via interviewers. The sampling error was ±3.7 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 14.1%.