Democratic Party, Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province hold budget policy talks

Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province held a joint budget policy consultation with the Democratic Party of Korea at the party leader's conference room in the National Assembly's main building on Wednesday.

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok, floor leader Han Byung-do, policy committee chair Kwon Chil-seung and National Assembly budget committee chair Lee Gwang-jae attended, along with Daegu city party chapter chair Park Hyeong-ryong, North Gyeongsang Province party chapter chair Oh Jung-gi, Daegu Deputy Mayor for Administration Kim Jeong-gi, North Gyeongsang Province Deputy Governor for Administration Hwang Myeong-seok and senior civil servants.

Daegu called for the ruling party's active support, saying the construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk new airport and the administrative merger of the two regions remain core issues reflecting the long-held aspirations of five million residents yet have not seen sufficient progress. The city urged that meaningful results be achieved during the current regular session of the National Assembly.

Daegu also outlined the need for several major nationally funded projects, including the expansion of the "10 Seoul National Universities" initiative, a scale-up of the public wastewater treatment facility at the Daegu National Industrial Complex, the purchase of reserve vehicles for the Daegu metropolitan railway and the development of a national musical complex.

North Gyeongsang Province asked for attention to nine key issues.

The province presented its case and sought cooperation on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative merger, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk new airport, the Yeongil Bay cross-strait expressway, a future response fund tied to local allocation tax system reform, the establishment of a medical school at Gyeonguk National University, the relocation of public institutions, a regional differential expansion of industrial electricity rates, the creation of a North Gyeongsang investment finance company and support and reconstruction for wildfire-affected areas.

The province called for the swift resumption and passage of the special act on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative merger, which is currently pending before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Officials said North Gyeongsang Province had been the first in the country to begin discussions on a wide-area administrative merger in 2019 and had built broad public consensus over many years. They also said a wide-area administrative merger is a core prerequisite of the government's "five poles, three specials" national balanced-growth strategy.

"We hope the ruling party will actively rally its strength so that the key issues and major nationally funded projects that determine North Gyeongsang Province's future can be fully discussed and reflected in the National Assembly," Deputy Governor for Administration Hwang said.

Daegu Deputy Mayor for Administration Kim said the meeting was "an occasion to directly convey to the ruling party the importance of Daegu's key issues and the need for nationally funded projects," adding that he had called for continued cooperation and active support to secure the region's future growth engines and resolve its pressing challenges.