Discussion on metropolitan mega-cities should not be issue for general elections

The subject of conversation among government officials and real estate experts I recently engaged with revolved around the proposal to integrate Gimpo City, Gyeonggi Province, into Seoul. As the discussion unfolded, someone asked, “How did this matter come about?” another playfully remarked, “Does that mean if you attend a university in Gimpo, you’re now attending a university ‘in Seoul’?”

However, a consensus emerged that the proposal to incorporate Gimpo City into Seoul was primarily instigated as a ‘general election issue’ within the political sphere. Since the last general elections in 2020, the surge in new apartment constructions in Gimpo City, totaling close to 20,000, has the potential to influence election outcomes significantly. This surge is anticipated to have a notable impact on both Gimpo and the surrounding metropolitan areas. During the presidential debate, Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung said, “In cities such as Gimpo, there are apartments worth 200 to 300 million won.” It is possible that he took into account the ‘historical’ sensitivity of local residents who may have perceived such comment as disparagement towards their region.

It is a fact that the Seoul metropolitan area is experiencing significant clustering. According to an analysis conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, the metropolitan area's population, defined by commuting traffic, exceeds 26 million. This encompasses Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and parts of Gangwon. A discernible trend of spatial expansion is evident as the population shifts from major cities like Seoul and Incheon to adjacent areas. This naturally leads to increased connectivity within living areas. Over 1.2 million people commute daily from Gyeonggi to Seoul, highlighting the metropolitan area’s integral role in people’s lives.

The challenge lies in the inadequacy of infrastructure to accommodate the increasing scale and demand for connectivity. A notable illustration is Gimpo Gold Line’s ‘Hell Train’ incident, where a two-car subway was introduced in a city with a population of 500,000, failing to adequately address the evident surge in demand. It could be argued that ongoing projects such as Great Train Express (GTX) in the Seoul metropolitan area, aimed at expanding the metropolitan transportation network, are overdue in this sense.

The tendency to dismiss this controversy as merely a tool for the general elections stems from its perceived lack of awareness regarding the actual realities at play. It would be enough to consider the integration of administrative districts as a by-product of genuine integration. Rather than that, a more crucial task is to analyze how residents' daily lives are interconnected between regions and to discuss how to address the inconveniences that arise in this interaction.

In Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, the number of industrial businesses associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution exceeds 35,000, representing over 60% of the total. Moreover, around 70% of the workforce in these industries is concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area. This establishes the Seoul metropolitan region as the most innovative area on the Korean Peninsula. However, the conversation on enhancing the efficiency of metropolitan area development has not received due attention, overshadowed by an alternate emphasis on the value of achieving balanced regional development.

In a sense, the debate surrounding the incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul holds the significance of challenging an unspoken but notional taboo. However, there is a simultaneous risk of encountering political controversy and opposition for the sake of opposition when discussing integration or cooperation between local governments in the Seoul metropolitan area in the future. The megacities in the Seoul metropolitan area are intricately linked to Korea's overall national competitiveness. This controversy must serve not merely as a tool for general elections but as a foundational point for developing progressive alternatives.


Lee Sae Saem iamsam@donga.com