Seongdong-gu Resident Autonomy Association Operates 'Village Accountant'...First in Seoul Autonomous District

Appointment of One Certified Public Accountant to Inspect and Consult on the Appropriateness of Subsidy Execution for Nine Resident Autonomy Committees

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is operating the 'Village Accountant System' for the first time in Seoul to ensure transparent budget and accounting management of the Residents' Autonomy Committee.

The 'Residents' Autonomy Committee' is a project that expands resident participation by having residents themselves establish village plans, operate residents' general meetings and participatory budgeting, and strengthen public-private cooperation to revitalize the local community.

Seongdong-gu started the Majang-dong Residents' Autonomy Committee in 2013 as a pilot project of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, expanded to 8 neighborhoods in 2017, and has been operating in all 17 neighborhoods since November last year.

However, since residents of the Residents' Autonomy Committee without administrative experience directly implement projects and execute budgets, there have been various problems and difficulties, leading to increasing calls for professional accounting education, management, and inspection for residents.

Accordingly, the district introduced the 'Village Accountant' system for regular accounting inspections of the Residents' Autonomy Committee. In early January, one professional certified public accountant was appointed as a Village Accountant and conducted inspections on subsidy settlements and the appropriateness of budget execution for 9 neighborhoods that carried out projects last year.

The inspection results pointed out major issues such as expenditures not matching budget items, absence of settlement statements by project, and the need for mid-term progress checks of projects.

In response, the district decided to organize settlement forms, strengthen mid-term project progress checks, and enhance accounting education.

The Village Accountant's accounting inspections will be conducted every half-year, and intensive consulting will be provided in the future.

A district official said, "By having the Village Accountant check the appropriateness of budget execution and whether expenditure details align with project objectives, it is expected to greatly help the Residents' Autonomy Committee enhance accounting transparency and operate projects more efficiently."

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "Although the Residents' Autonomy Committee is recognized as a core organization realizing resident autonomy, concerns have also grown as the budget scale increases. Ensuring transparency and validity in the project implementation process is essential for the stable operation of the Residents' Autonomy Committee, and we hope that the introduction of the Village Accountant will be a good opportunity to strengthen the committee's foundation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.