PPP proposes incorporating Gimpo and small cities into Seoul

People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon visits the inside of a train on the Gimpo Gold Line on Monday. [YONHAP]

The conservative People Power Party (PPP) has called for the incorporation of Gimpo and other small cities in Gyeonggi into Seoul in a move that appears to be aimed at boosting the party’s popularity ahead of next year’s general election.

PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon first announced the plan during a visit to Gimpo on Monday, with the party floor leader Yun Jae-ok following up with comments on Tuesday that the party is considering passing legislation to make the incorporation official.

“Following an internal review, the party has concluded that it is desirable to incorporate Gimpo into Seoul,” Kim told reporters Monday.

The PPP leader said that the annexation would spur development in Gimpo and outlying areas of Seoul. He also said Gimpo’s incorporation into Seoul was “natural,” given their proximity.

Gimpo, located northwest of the capital, has a population of approximately 420,000 and covers 276.6 square kilometers (106.8 square miles).

The total area of Seoul would increase by 45 percent if Gimpo were incorporated into the capital.

Extra buses offer little respite for Gimpo commuters

Gimpo’s municipal government has previously said it would rather be part of Seoul than fall under a potential division of Gyeonggi.

The Gyeonggi provincial government is currently examining the possibility of dividing the province, which envelopes Seoul and neighboring Incheon, into two halves, North Gyeonggi and South Gyeonggi.

PPP officials said that they would pursue the incorporation of other cities into Seoul if their residents support the idea.

Political observers widely see the party’s announcement as a policy proposal aimed at winning over voters in Gimpo and other cities abutting Seoul in the lead-up to parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.

The PPP is expected to push for a law authorizing the incorporation of other cities into Seoul after their residents vote on the proposal.

But the liberal Democratic Party (DP), which currently holds a majority in the National Assembly, has balked at further expanding Seoul.

DP officials described the plan as coming “completely out of the blue” and have criticized it as a pre-election ploy by the PPP to win voters.

Past elections have shown that a slight majority of voters in Gyeonggi favor the DP over the PPP.

In response to the DP’s accusations, PPP officials have argued that the party’s proposal was formulated in response to demands from residents.

Seoul has been progressively expanded six times since the turn of the 20th century.

The last major expansion of the city took place in 1963, but smaller areas were also added in 1973 and 1995.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]