Suwon City "Will Continue Pursuing Three-City Integration"

Suwon City announced it will continue pursuing the integration of three cities.

On the 13th, Suwon City issued a statement condemning the Local Administrative System Reform Committee's decision not to integrate Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan, making its position clear.

Suwon City released a statement in the morning titled "Suwon City's Position on the Rejection of the Integration Recommendation," stating: "The public opinion survey conducted by the reform committee did not secure fairness, objectivity, and transparency, and the results differ significantly from previous surveys including the 2009 Ministry of Public Administration and Security survey."

It continued: "While some regions were selected as integration targets on the grounds of being nationally necessary areas regardless of survey results, Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan were excluded from integration targets based on untrustworthy survey results. We cannot help but question the intention and fairness of this decision."

The city added: "In February, the mayors of the three cities signed an agreement to conduct joint research on integration and, based on the results, allow residents to choose whether to integrate through forums and public hearings. However, the reform committee's decision has deprived residents of the opportunity to make their own choice."

The city stated: "The three cities had integration discussions in 2000 and 2009, but they fell through due to opposition from certain vested interests, and conflict and friction continue among residents to this day. We are concerned the reform committee's decision will worsen the aftereffects."

Despite the reform committee's decision, the city announced it will continue the research project scheduled for completion by the end of August and proceed with resident briefings and forums in a rational and reasonable manner, maintaining its original purpose.

Meanwhile, the reform committee held a plenary session on the 8th to deliberate on the integration plan for the three cities of Suwon, but rejected it through a vote. According to the reform committee's own public opinion survey, more than 60 percent of residents in Suwon and Osan supported integration, while support in Hwaseong was reported to be around the mid-40 percent range.