The passage of the Jeonnam (South Jeolla Province)-Gwangju Special Administrative Integration Act through the National Assembly on March 1, led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), should have marked a decisive step toward regional reform. Instead, it has exposed a dispiriting spectacle of partisan maneuvering. Companion bills for the merging of Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province — commonly called TK — and South Chungcheong Province-Daejeon were shelved after days of acrimony between the DPK and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), with each accusing the other of opportunism while engaging in it themselves. At the heart of the impasse lies the TK integration bill. The PPP had earlier opposed its swift passage, citing local dissent, but reversed course abruptly after facing mounting criticism in the TK region. With local elections looming in June, party leaders grew anxious that wavering on integration could imperil their electoral prospects, even in what has long been considered a conservative stronghold. The party went so far as to halt a planned filibuster and for