제 20 호 Are You For or Against Gimpo City Being Incorporated into Seoul City?
Kicker: DEBATE
Are You For or Against Gimpo City Being Incorporated into Seoul City?
By Hyesu Kim, Cub-reporter
Mayors of respective cities.
https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/politics_general/1115802.html
The main reason why policymakers suggest Gimpo to be incorporated into Seoul is due to the geographic ambiguity of Gimpo. Should it belong to Gyeonggi-bukdo, Gyeonggi-namdo, or take a huge leap and be a newly incorporated district of Seoul?
The idea of Gimpo City being incorporated into Seoul city first emerged while promoting a policy to divide Gyeonggi-do into Gyyeonggi-bukdo(Northern province) and Gyeonnggi-namdo(Southern Province). Geographically, Gimpo does not fall into the category of the Southern part of Gyeonggi-do. However, it does not belong to the northern part of Gyeonggi-do, either, making it difficult to distinguish where Gimpo should belong if Gyeonggi-do were to be divided into a Northern and Southern province.
Gimpo City is located close to the districts of Gangseo and Yangcheon, both of which are part of Seoul City. Interestingly, these two southwestern districts of Seoul used to be under Gimpo-gun(county) until it became incorporated into Seoul City in 1963. The proponents of Gimpo City being incorporated into Seoul City usethe above example as a reasonable ground to promote this objective. Aside from Gimpo’s geographical proximity to Seoul, proponents of Gimpo-Seoul incorporation argue that citizens of Gimpo take advantage of infrastructure of Seoul more so than of Gyeonggi-do’s, therefore making it appropriate to simply put Gimpo under the subcategory of Seoul.
However, with a rising controversy over most of Korea’s infrastructure being centered around Seoul City on top of a rumor circulating that a landfill will be built in Gimpo City in exchange for it being incorporated into Seoul City, it is unclear whether the idea is welcome news for the citizens of Seoul and Gimpo.
A recent national survey conducted with a population group of 1,001 Korean adults the age of 18 by Gallup Korea from November 7th to 9th revealed that 55% of the respondents dislike the idea of Gimpo City being incorporated into Seoul City, while 24% said they support the policy. Meanwhile, another survey that was carried out as requested by City of Gimpo showed contrasting results.
68% of Gimpo citizens were fond of Gimpo becoming a district of Seoul, while 29.7% disapproved of the proposal. Among those 29.7% who disagree, 42.1% said they want Gimpo to be a part of Gyeonggi-bukdo, 33.8% said Gyeonggi-namdo, and 24.1% said they don’t know. No survey has been conducted for Seoul citizens on this matter as of yet.
If Gimpo were to be incorporated into Seoul, it would be a favorable thing for citizens of Gimpo for reasons like these. First, Seoul’s real estate prices are remarkably higher than any other parts of Korea. Therefore, Gimpo citizens would be able to enjoy charging higher housing prices to potential buyers thanks to it being part of Seoul. Second, virtually all major companies, schools and events are held within Seoul City. Third, Seoul is now a household name in the global society, so being under this name will give citizens of Gimpo a sense of pride.
However, Seoul citizens might disagree with Gimpo to be part of Seoul as a protective measure to those benefits being enjoyed by citizens whom they believe are not entitled. It is true that people work really hard to get an apartment in Seoul city, often taking in large amounts of debt in the process. Some young people even make it a life goal to get their own apartment under their name in Seoul, for it will bring them a sense of security and great accessibility to all the infrastructure offered in the city. Thus, it makes a lot of sense for Seoul citizens to want to protect their rights to limiting other cities to suddenly be a part of it.
Gimpo citizens may also face some identity crisis following a shift in governance. Politicians are proposing Gimpo to still be a city of its own, but just under the governance of Seoul. A city under a city, a true absurdity. It will be worth considering the real purpose behind why politicians are so pushing for this unheard-of proposal, which just may be all a part of political campaign and not truly for the benefits of the citizens.
Considering all these reasons, it is possible that Gimpo citizens willperhaps be the only party who will celebrate this change if this bill were to be passed. It will even seem a little unfair to Seoul citizens for the above reasons.
Dear Sangmyung University readers, what is your opinion on Gimpo City becoming a part of Seoul City? Are you a citizen of Gimpo or Seoul? Do you agree or disagree with this idea? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think that it will be beneficial for citizens of one or the other? Share your opinions freely in the comments section below and have an open discussion with your peers.
Source: https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/politics_general/1115802.html
