Reduction of 4 Councillors in the Integration of Jemulpo District... Heo Jong-sik Says "We Must Prevent the Collapse of Representation for the Old City"

A bill to prevent the reduction of basic councillors in Incheon Jemulpo District, which is scheduled to launch in July 2026, has been submitted to the National Assembly. Heo Jong-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Dong-gu and Michuhol-gu), announced on the 28th that he has proposed a bill to amend the Act on the Establishment of Incheon Jemulpo District, Yeongjong District, and Geomdan District to maintain the current number of basic councillors after the integration of Jemulpo District.

Jemulpo District is a newly established autonomous district formed by integrating the inland area of Jung-gu in Incheon and Dong-gu. However, if the current system is applied as it is, the total number of councillors, which is currently 11 (3 from Jung-gu inland and 8 from Dong-gu), is expected to decrease to about 7 after the integration. This means that 4 basic councillors will disappear simultaneously with the integration.

Concerns about administrative gaps due to the reduction in the number of councillors have also been raised. Jemulpo District is an area where large-scale issues such as the regeneration of the old city and port redevelopment are concentrated. It is pointed out that if the number of council members decreases in a situation where administrative demand is increasing, the functions of checking the executive branch and gathering residents' opinions may weaken.

In particular, Incheon already has the highest population per basic councillor in the country. Currently, one basic councillor in Incheon is responsible for an average of about 25,121 people. This figure is significantly higher than other metropolitan cities such as Busan (17,802 people), Daegu (19,421 people), and Gwangju (20,504 people). Although the population is increasing, the total number of basic councillors in Incheon is expected to decrease by one this year due to the end of the pilot operation of the major electoral district system.

The key point of the amendment proposed by Heo is to establish a special provision to maintain the number of councillors and electoral districts of Jung-gu and Dong-gu prior to the integration at the time of the launch of Jemulpo District. It is explained that this is based on the past case where Changwon City in Gyeongnam maintained 55 councillors even after integration, and Cheongju City in Chungbuk actually increased the number by one.

Heo stated, "Jemulpo District is expected to have 18 administrative districts, so each councillor will be responsible for about 2.5 administrative districts," and added, "Considering not just the simple population criteria but also the uniqueness of the administrative district and the need for resident-oriented governance, it is necessary to maintain at least 11 councillors."

He continued, "This is a minimum safety measure to ensure that residents of the old city are not excluded during the administrative system reform process," and stated, "I will work to ensure that the total number of basic councillors in Incheon is increased and the special provisions for Jemulpo District are reflected in the discussions of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform."

This amendment has a total of 10 co-proposers, including Heo, Noh Jong-myeon, Maeng Seong-kyu, Park Jeong, Park Chan-dae, Seo Yeong-seok, Lee Hak-young, Lee Hoon-ki, Jeong Il-young, and independent member Lee Chun-seok.