Seoul: The leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) proposed holding talks with his main opposition People Power Party (PPP) counterpart on Monday to discuss a merger between the central city of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province ahead of the local elections.

According to Yonhap News Agency, in December last year, President Lee Jae Myung suggested the merger, stating it could help address the overconcentration in the Seoul metropolitan area and promote balanced regional development. DP leader Jung Chung-rae emphasized the need for an official meeting between the leaders of the two parties to make substantive progress on the administrative integration during a meeting of the party's supreme council.

Earlier this month, the DP unilaterally passed a special bill to create an integrated administrative region during a parliamentary public administration and security committee meeting. The National Assembly is set to vote on the merger at a plenary session later this month, a decision that could influence the upcoming local elections in June.

Jung highlighted the necessity of bipartisan agreement to pass the special act, describing it as a "critical task" in designing the country's future governance structure.