On the 21st, Jeollabuk Special Self-Governing Province, along with Gangwon, Jeju, and Sejong, announced a joint statement under the name of the 'Special Self-Governing City and Province Administrative Council of South Korea,' urging for the swift processing of special laws for the four special self-governing cities and provinces, including the Jeollabuk Special Law, in conjunction with discussions on metropolitan administrative integration.

The administrative council, composed of Jeollabuk, Gangwon, Jeju, and Sejong, stated that this declaration marks the first official activity of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, the representative province for 2026. The council expressed concerns that the metropolitan administrative integration special law and incentive policies could be biased towards specific regions. They pointed out that while bills for the integration of Gwangju-Jeonnam and Daejeon-Chungnam are progressing rapidly, discussions on the existing special laws for self-governing cities and provinces are being delayed.

Furthermore, they demanded fair distribution of resources and legislative fairness from the National Assembly and the government, stating that the integration incentives centered on financial support and relocation of public institutions could disadvantage existing special self-governing cities and provinces due to a zero-sum structure.

The council urged for ▲ simultaneous processing of Jeollabuk, Gangwon, Jeju special laws, and administrative capital special laws during the review of the metropolitan administrative integration special law ▲ prevention of exclusion of special self-governing cities and provinces ▲ fair support in accordance with the 5-3-3 national strategy.

Kim Jin-tae, the Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, emphasized that "the integration special law and existing special laws should be processed simultaneously," while Kim Kwan-young, the Governor of Jeollabuk Special Self-Governing Province, requested swift legislation, stating that the revision of the Jeollabuk Special Law is an essential task for national balanced development.