Gimpo megacity plan in deadlock

A banner welcoming Gimpo City's incorporation into Seoul hangs along a street in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 5, 2023. Yonhap

The possibility of the plan for Gimpo to be merged into Seoul is losing momentum as the municipality’s attempt to hold a referendum before the general elections in April seems unlikely.

According to Gimpo City and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Wednesday, the safety ministry has yet to decide whether to hold a referendum in Gimpo to collect public opinions on the reorganization of administrative divisions, as requested by the municipality.

The ruling People Power Party's (PPP) idea of including Gimpo and other adjacent cities in Seoul emerged last year, triggering a heated debate on the future direction of the megacity and expanding the idea to other southern cities amid the population decline.

Under the Resident’s Voting Act, local municipalities cannot hold a vote within 60 days of the election day.

In that respect, the city government would have to finalize all voting procedures by Feb. 10, 60 days ahead of the general elections, which are slated for April 10.

However, even if the safety ministry gives Gimpo the green light now, there is a remote chance for the vote to actually take place in time, as it would involve several pending procedures, including a review by the National Election Commission, budget compilation and passing at the Cabinet meeting.

The safety ministry said it is examining whether the vote is necessary, but believes it could be difficult to complete all voting procedures before Feb. 10, as requested by Gimpo.

With the low probability of holding a vote, the special bill on Gimpo’s incorporation into Seoul proposed by PPP lawmakers is also likely to be scrapped automatically at the end of the 21st Assembly.

The PPP announced last October that it would push for the city’s incorporation into Seoul and proposed a special act a few weeks later. However, the party made no substantial follow-ups after.

“Being unable to hold a local vote before the general elections will not stop us from pushing for incorporation,” a Gimpo City official said, underscoring the local government’s ongoing joint study with the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the megacity plan’s future.

“Regardless of the general elections, the city government will continue preparing the plan to incorporate into Seoul. When a new Assembly kicks off after the elections, the city government will propose another special act on incorporation and prepare due procedures,” the official added.