South Korea's main English-language daily; confirmed the merger's July 1 effective date, the 3.2 million resident figure, and the 20 trillion won central government pledge; noted the 40-year administrative separation since 1986
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Korea Herald · South Korea · South Korea's Gwangju and South Jeolla Province merge into Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City
Reported the formal launch of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, confirmed the combined population of approximately 3.2 million and its status as South Korea's third-largest administrative unit outside the Seoul Capital Area. Noted that roughly 400 separate legislative provisions were required to authorize the merger and quoted the Ministry of the Interior as calling it the most complex regional restructuring since Sejong Special City's creation.
“South Korea's Gwangju and South Jeolla Province formally merged July 1 into Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, the country's first metropolitan-province amalgamation.”