When Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan Integrate, They Should Become 'Special Metropolitan Autonomous Cities'

Suwon City (Mayor Yeom Tae-young) held a "final report meeting on the joint research project for administrative reorganization of Osan, Suwon, and Hwaseong" on December 12 at the city hall conference room, providing an opportunity for discussion among the three cities to break free from regional conflict structures and pursue common prosperity through mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Korean Society for Public Administration, which conducted the research, diagnosed that the reason the integration discussion among the three cities fell apart in the public opinion survey process was not the residents' opposition to integration but rather the fact that even if the three cities integrate to become a metropolitan-level local government, their legal status would remain only as a basic local government without corresponding administrative and financial support.

The society particularly noted that "a provisional institutional alternative called 'Special Metropolitan Autonomous City' with enhanced authority compared to metropolitan cities, similar to the cases of Jeju City or Sejong City as cities supporting the capital region, should first be established to expect synergy from integration."

The report meeting, held with attendance by approximately 30 people including Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, Hwaseong Mayor Chae In-seok, Osan Vice Mayor Kim Phil-kyung, National Assembly members Ahn Min-seok and Shin Jang-yong, provincial assembly members, members of the three cities' local assemblies, and related officials, presented the results of the research project conducted by the Korean Society for Public Administration from March 2012 to February 2013.

The society announced its results covering the main contents of administrative reorganization of the three cities, domestic and international cases of mutually beneficial cooperation, public and expert awareness regarding mutual prosperity development, and cooperative development plans for the three cities.

Regarding the limitations of integration discussions among the three cities, the society suggested the need to establish more concrete alternatives from the perspective of mutual prosperity development rather than integration, and that it is desirable to pursue mutual prosperity development among the three cities, create a foundation for integration, and establish a foundation for joint growth of the three cities according to future legal, institutional, and environmental changes.

Additionally, the society presented enhanced integration incentives and strengthened status and position of integrated cities as prerequisites for successful administrative reorganization, and emphasized the need to establish a foundation for integration through various cooperative projects for mutual prosperity development among the three cities and to collectively work to obtain broader financial incentives exceeding those for metropolitan cities.

The society particularly proposed hosting joint residents' forums, joint festivals and cultural events by 2014 to enhance cooperative mindset, and improving cooperative systems by 2018 through joint fund-raising, establishment of special committees for mutual prosperity development within local assemblies, and installation of joint facilities, proposing a three-stage cooperative system framework in which welfare unions are established after 2018.

Along with this, the society explained strategies to strategically share regional infrastructure facilities in social welfare, medical facilities, and culture and arts, expand exchanges in regional culture and sports, and maximize economic benefits, and through efforts in cultural heritage development such as the Suwon-Hwaseong Culture Festival, Doksan Fortress Culture Festival, and the creation of the Samnam Trail, as well as strategy proposals for the succession and development of culture and arts, presented comprehensive development strategies.

Mayor Yeom Tae-young stated, "I will carefully review the projects proposed in this report meeting and make efforts to improve the quality of life of citizens in the three cities," and added, "I will disclose the results of the report meeting to citizens so they can make judgments about the future of the three cities."