South Korea's president expands Chungcheong talks to include Chungbuk amid stalled merger

President Lee Jae-myung spoke at a town hall event titled “Listening to Chungbuk’s Heart” in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on the 13th, where he addressed the stalled talks over a merger between Chungnam (South Chungcheong) and Daejeon and floated the idea of broadening the discussion to include Chungbuk as part of a regional Chungcheong-wide integration.

Lee noted that while unifying Chungnam and Daejeon had seemed beneficial, progress was halted. He used a metaphor about a “server crash” to describe the sudden pause, saying that if one side pushes forward, the other should move in the same direction rather than in opposition.

Even with the pause in the Chungnam–Daejeon merger, the president argued that regional integration trends would continue and that regional competitiveness calls for more than a simple alliance. He asked what Chungbuk should decide in light of a broader, deeper integration strategy.

The president acknowledged concerns that Chungbuk could be affected if Chungnam and Daejeon merge, but urged people to consider not only immediate issues but also what opportunities the next generation might gain in the region.

Lee highlighted the need for balanced regional development and referenced the housing-price gap between Seoul and other regions. He noted that some Seoul apartments cost more than 200 million won per pyeong, while in Chungbuk some units run in the 200–300 million won range, underscoring the urban-rural divide linked to proximity to the capital.

He also pointed to burdens borne by non-capital regions, such as waste that must be shipped to Chungbuk or Gangwon when Seoul cannot handle disposal, and numerous high-voltage transmission lines crossing the area. He said residents can feel burdened without commensurate benefits, and he pledged to address these problems one by one.

Context for international readers: Cheongju is the capital of North Chungcheong Province, and Daejeon is a major metropolitan city near the region. The Chungcheong provinces have long been the focus of debates over regional balance, governance, and how Korea allocates infrastructure and investment away from the Seoul metropolitan area. Any shift in regional planning can influence investment, housing markets, energy and waste management infrastructure, and the location of future industrial projects, with potential implications for regional supply chains and U.S.-Korea economic ties.