Seoul and Guri join forces to explore megacity initiative

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, left, and Guri Mayor Baek Kyung-hyeon shake hands at the City Hall in downtown Seoul Monday ahead of their discussion on Guri's incorporation into the capital. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The cities of Seoul and Guri, Gyeonggi will create a joint research team to study the potential effects of integrating Guri into the capital under a megacity initiative.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Guri Mayor Baek Kyung-hyeon at Seoul City Hall in central Seoul on Monday, marking the second such meeting for Oh after his meeting with the mayor of Gimpo, Gyeonggi last week.

During the meeting, Baek of the People Power Party (PPP) stressed that the incorporation of Guri into the capital would benefit the development of his city, which currently faces numerous restrictions.

“The lives of residents in Guri will become much more convenient with changes such as extending the subway line,” Baek was quoted as saying, adding that the capital will benefit from relocating public facilities to unused land in Guri.

The Guri mayor previously expressed his willingness to integrate the city into the capital during a press conference held on Nov. 2, after the conservative PPP announced plans to incorporate Gimpo into Seoul.

Gimpo, located northwest of the capital, has a population of approximately 490,000 and covers 276.6 square kilometers (106.8 square miles).

The initiative was seen as a move to boost the party’s popularity ahead of the general election slated for next year.

However, the capital’s mayor stressed on Monday that the plan will push forward regardless of the election results.

“The discussions between the capital and other cities, including Gimpo and Guri, will continue even after the general election,” Oh was quoted as saying.

“We will continuously study and research how the annexation of adjacent cities will improve the lives of the people and impact the competitiveness of the city and the country.”

This is the second time Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced a joint research team to study the impacts of integrating neighboring cities. The first one, between Seoul and Gimpo, was also decided after a meeting between the two mayors last week.

The city government also established a separate task force to examine the impact of potential mergers with other adjacent cities, such as Hanam and Goyang of Gyeonggi.

Discussions regarding annexation are expected to continue this week. Oh is scheduled to meet with Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok on Thursday.

Kim and Yoo have both strongly protested the incorporation plan. The Incheon mayor further criticized his party for initiating an “unrealistic political show” last week.

Meanwhile, more than 66 percent of Gyeonggi's 3,004 residents opposed incorporating their cities into the capital, according to a survey conducted by Realmeter earlier this month.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]