Yoon vows to grant more autonomy to 4 ‘special cities’

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Monday to push for legislation that will grant more autonomy to four “special cities,” including Yongin and Suwon, and allow them to foster strategic industries and design urban development plans on their own.

Yoon made the promise during a government-public debate held at Yongin city hall, 42 kilometers south of Seoul, referring to the cities of Yongin, Suwon, Goyang and Changwon, all of which have been given the name “special city” as municipalities with a population of over 1 million.

“The government will legislate a special law supporting the special cities in order to expand the authority held by special cities, and come up with a legal system so that special cities can properly establish various urban development plans, including for strategic industries,” he said.

Yoon cited the example of construction permits for high-rise buildings and arboretums, saying approval authority should be transferred from the regional governments to the special cities, which know the local conditions best.

He also said special support will be given to Yongin, a global semiconductor production hub that will receive around 500 trillion won (US$373 billion) of the 622 trillion won in investment pledged for the construction of a semiconductor mega cluster across southern Gyeonggi Province, including Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong, Yongin and Icheon.

“We will drastically expand Yongin’s transport infrastructure,” he said, pledging to accelerate the construction of a “semiconductor highway” that will facilitate movement across the semiconductor mega cluster.