Suwon's Population Surpasses Ulsan Metropolitan City… 3,700 More as of End of June

Suwon's population has surpassed that of Ulsan Metropolitan City.

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety released on the 26th, Suwon's population as of the end of June stood at 1,164,817, which is 3,798 more than Ulsan Metropolitan City (1,161,019).

Since Suwon's population exceeded that of Ulsan Metropolitan City by 2,341 as of the end of April, Suwon has maintained its lead.

Suwon is currently treated as a basic local government unit like other cities, counties, and districts, and is subject to supervision and regulation from Gyeonggi Province, which is a metropolitan local government. The city is only permitted to have one additional Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs under the name of a "large city with a population of over 1 million."

If Suwon is elevated to the status of a specific metropolitan city, it is expected to be able to expand its current four district offices to five.

Ulsan Metropolitan City currently has five district offices, and Changwon City (1,077,885 residents), which has 869,320 fewer residents than Suwon, is also composed of five districts.

Meanwhile, elevation to specific metropolitan city status is an election pledge of Kim Yong-nam, the Saenuri Party candidate (Suwon B District) who is running in the July 30 by-election, and is expected to gain momentum in future implementation.

Candidate Kim plans to work with National Assembly members from Suwon's constituency to push for the enactment of a special law tentatively titled the "Act on the Establishment of Specific Metropolitan Cities."