President Lee Jae Myung has raised the possibility of an administrative merger between Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, following recent discussions on integrating Daejeon and South Chungcheong.

In a social media post on Friday, Lee said that metropolitan‑level administrative mergers—once considered difficult to pursue—are now gaining momentum, asking rhetorically whether Gwangju and South Jeolla could be next.

He added that public sentiment appears to favor moving beyond the Seoul‑centric system and opening a new path for region‑led growth, and he invited citizens to share their views.

Lee’s post included a news article reporting that South Jeolla Governor Kim Yung‑rok and Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi‑jung have launched an “administrative integration promotion task force” to begin formal discussions on the potential merger.

The president has previously emphasized the need to strengthen regional competitiveness through administrative integration, and in his New Year’s address on Thursday described 2026 as the “first year of South Korea’s great leap,” highlighting region‑led growth as a central policy direction.