'광주·전남 균형발전 될까'.. 통합시 첫 타운홀미팅 (뉴스데스크 2026.7.9 광주MBC)

(Anchor) The first public town hall meeting for citizens was held since the launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. Special City Mayor Min Hyeong-bae served as the moderator, engaging in a Q&A session with residents. A wide range of opinions regarding balanced development and organizational restructuring poured in. Reporter Seo Il-young reports. (Reporter) The public town hall meeting for citizens was personally moderated by Special City Mayor Min Hyeong-bae. Residents raised their hands to ask questions, and the mayor answered them on the spot as the event proceeded for over two hours. The most frequent questions focused on regional balanced development rather than organizational restructuring. Park Il-sang / Muan Resident "(Everything) is bound to go to Gwangju... and unless there are special measures, the population in our southwestern region is bound to disappear." Mayor Min Hyeong-bae explained that regional industries and balanced development policies are more important than the location of the city hall. Min Hyung-bae / Mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City "We have created special provisions in the Special Act to foster and support one or more specialized industries in each region." Questions regarding the functional layout of government buildings followed. Oh Seok-cheol / Naju Citizen "I believe a comprehensive strategic government building should be located in the Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Innovation City." Byun Hwang-woo / Suncheon Citizen "I think it would be good to balance things a bit more in our eastern region, such as personnel and various administrative functions." Mayor Min reiterated the principle of maintaining the functions of the Muan government building while dispersing organizations based on function. Min Hyung-bae / Mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City "The premise is that this city (Muan) must not undergo any sudden or significant changes..." However, some residents expressed disappointment, stating that the answers to questions demanding development measures for the western region were insufficient. Kim Jin-hyeok / Citizen "For the sake of a sustainable society like this, I truly have absolutely no vested interest in the Western region. I don't have any relatives there either. I believe it is right to give strength to the Western region." Towards the end of the event, some residents raised their voices, demanding additional answers. Outside the town hall meeting venue, civil servant unions from both cities and provinces continued their rallies opposing the organizational restructuring. With the town hall meeting concluding, which effectively served as a residents' briefing on the restructuring plan, the integrated city is expected to submit the plan to the first extraordinary session of the integrated city council next week. This is Seo Il-young from MBC News. #JeonnamGwangjuIntegratedSpecialCity #TownHallMeeting #MinHyungbae