Reasons for Proposal

The northern Gyeonggi region has been dedicated and sacrificed for national security and public safety over the past 70 years. However, compared to the southern Gyeonggi area as well as some areas outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the northern Gyeonggi region remains relatively behind in many fields, including economy, industry, culture, medical care, welfare, and transportation, due to overlapping regulations by the Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act, Protection of Military Bases and installations Act, Act on Special Measures for Designation and Management of Development Restriction Zones, Water Supply and Waterworks Installation Act, etc., and various regulatory policies of the government.

Nevertheless, the imbalance with the southern Gyeonggi region is deepening as the uniformly applied regulations have not been eased under the name of the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Therefore, some point out that a development plan that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of the northern Gyeonggi region should be prepared to improve the lives of residents in the northern Gyeonggi region who have sacrificed for a long time and achieve true balanced regional development.

Discussions on the division of Gyeonggi-do have been continuously held in the political world since being presented as a pledge of candidate Kim Young-sam during the 1992 presidential election, and there is a general consensus within the local community on the necessity of establishing a separate administrative entity called the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province. There are administrative agencies that have separate jurisdiction over the northern region of Gyeonggi-do, including the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Northern Office (the second office), Northern Regional Office of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (the second office), Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police, as well as the District Public Prosecutor’s Office and District Court, and the administrative foundation is already in place, so it is expected that administrative confusion will be minimized when the new Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province is established.

Therefore, this enactment aims to promote the balanced development of the national territory and improve the convenience of residents' lives by separating the northern Gyeonggi region, which has different economic/living spheres, and regional, historical, and humanistic characteristics, from Gyeonggi-do to establish a new Northern Special Self-Governing Province and by designating free economic zones in the border area for the development of the border area that has been dedicated to national security for a long time.

Major Provisions

A. Establish a Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province that guarantees a high level of autonomy by taking advantage of the regional, historical, and humanistic characteristics of the northern Gyeonggi region (Articles 1 and 6).

B. Grant special exceptions such as special support, the installation of a special account for balanced national development, the consignment of self-governing affairs, etc., residents' voting, personnel exchange, the dispatch of public officials, and the selection and recruitment of local talent to the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province (Articles 7 through 10, 15 through 17, and 19).

C. Establish the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Support Committee under the Prime Minister to deliberate on matters, etc., concerning the mid- to long-term development of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province and the preparation of administrative/financial support plans (Article 12).

D. The establishment of administrative organizations in the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province and the quota of local public officials may be determined by ordinance of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province in consideration of administrative demands such as population, area, and urban development stage (Article 16).

E. Establish an independent Audit and Inspection Committee serving under the governor of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province in order to investigate, check, confirm, analyze, and verify the overall duties and activities of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, its affiliated agencies, etc., as prescribed by ordinance (Article 21).

F. Enable the governor of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province to establish a master plan for a free economic zone in the border area every five years for its systematic development and designate free economic zones in the border area within the jurisdiction of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province (Articles 28 and 30).

G. The governor of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province shall designate an operator for the development of a free economic zone in the border area and receive an implementation plan for the development project from the development project operator and approve it (Articles 37 and 41).

H. Enable the State and the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province to smoothly implement free economic zone development projects in the border area and reduce development charges, farmland preservation charges, expenses incurred in creating forest replacement resources, etc., for the development project operator (Article 48)

I. Enable the State and the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province to provide assistance such as tax/financial support and preferential support for infrastructure to enterprises moving into a free economic zone in the border area (Articles 49 through 55).

J. Enable governmental agencies to provide assistance for fostering the tourism industry, assistance for the promotion of agriculture, fishery, forestry, livestock, and food industries, and assistance for fostering the logistics industry in a free economic zone in the border area (Articles 60 and 61).