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DP finalizes name for merged Daejeon-South Chungcheong 'special city'

Published: 29 Jan. 2026, 15:23 Updated: 29 Jan. 2026, 16:12

Democratic Party Rep. Hwang Myeong-seon speaks in a meeting of the party's supreme council at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 26. [YONHAP]

The Democratic Party (DP) has finalized “Chungnam-Daejeon Integrated Special City” (translated) as the official name for the proposed merged municipality, with “Daejeon Special City” chosen as the short form.

The decision comes ahead of the party’s plan to submit a special bill on Thursday to integrate Daejeon, an autonomous metropolitan city, with South Chungcheong. Supporters say the move would create a Seoul-level “special metropolitan city” and strengthen the region’s economic and administrative capacity.

DP Rep. Hwang Myeong-seon, chair of the party’s special committee, told reporters after a committee meeting at the National Assembly that the name had been finalized. The official English spelling of the city has not been confirmed as of Thursday afternoon.

“The plan is to use both the Daejeon and South Chungcheong provincial government complexes for now,” Hwang said, regarding the location of the integrated special city’s main administrative office. “We will leave decisions about the integrated city’s official address to be made after an integrated city mayor is elected.”

DP Rep. Park Jeong-hyun said the bill’s title has been set, translating roughly to the “Special Act on the Establishment of the Chungnam-Daejeon Integrated Special City and the Creation of an Economy- and Science-Centered City.”

“The draft has expanded from 253 articles to 302, and may grow further after additional discussions,” said Park. “The number of special provisions in the bill has also increased from 229 to 280.”

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, center, joins attendees in a performance urging the National Assembly to pass a special law on the Daejeon-South Chungcheong administrative merger in the main auditorium of Daejeon City Hall on Dec. 12, 2025. [NEWS1]

The committee plans to submit the special bill to the party’s legislative support team Thursday afternoon. The bill is expected to be introduced on Friday as a party-backed measure, after the DP makes adjustments along with a separate special bill aimed at integrating Gwangju and South Jeolla.

“A key issue in the discussions was concern that regional-level integration could weaken autonomy at the basic local-government level,” said Park. “The party decided to refine provisions aimed at strengthening fiscal decentralization.”

Park said the bill would be introduced as the party line after minor revisions.

“If the bill is introduced on Friday the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee is likely to convene as early as next week to take it up,” said Park. Park stressed the bill must pass by late February so that election preparations can move forward in March.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]