National Council of Chairpersons of Provincial Councils Urges Prompt Passage of the 21st National Assembly's Full Revision of the Local Autonomy Act

Published 28 May.2020 15:07(KST)

The Local Autonomy Act Amendment Rejected by the 20th National Assembly Must Be Passed Quickly by the 21st National Assembly... The Importance of Local Autonomy Rediscovered Amid COVID-19, Strengthening Local Autonomy Needed for Post-Corona Preparation

National Council of Chairpersons of Provincial Councils Urges Prompt Passage of the 21st National Assembly's Full Revision of the Local Autonomy Act

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The National Council of Chairpersons of City and Provincial Councils (Chairperson Shin Won-chul, photo) requested that the 21st National Assembly, which begins on May 30, promptly pass the “Comprehensive Revision of the Local Autonomy Act,” which was not processed during the 20th National Assembly.

In the petition, the Council emphasized, “Amid the recent COVID-19 crisis, local governments have been preventing the spread of infectious diseases through creative and diverse countermeasures,” adding, “This is a rediscovery of localities and an example showing that strengthening local autonomy can become a new driving force for national development.”

However, it explained that due to the limitations of the current local autonomy system, it is impossible to implement more proactive policies tailored to each region’s circumstances, and stated, “Both public opinion and the political sphere agree that a comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act, which forms the foundation of local autonomy, is necessary to fundamentally improve this.”

The Council criticized, “The government proposed a comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act in March 2019 to guarantee active policy participation by residents, expand cooperation between central and local governments, and strengthen the autonomy and expertise of local councils. However, the 20th National Assembly ended its term without properly deliberating on the government’s bill, and the bill was discarded along with the end of the 20th National Assembly.”

The Council reiterated the necessity of revising the bill, stating, “The 21st National Assembly must expedite the process from bill proposal to review by the relevant standing committee, the Judiciary Committee, and plenary session approval, and proceed with the revision of the Local Autonomy Act so that the amendment can be fully enacted by the end of December this year.”

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Petition from the National Council of Chairpersons of City and Provincial Councils for the Passage of the Comprehensive Revision of the Local Autonomy Act in the 21st National Assembly

Local autonomy in Korea began with the first local council elections in 1952 based on the Constitution, and since the reassembly of local councils in 1991 and the nationwide simultaneous local elections in 1995, it has been the root of democracy and has realized the constitutional values of vertical and functional separation of powers.

On this foundation, local councils nationwide have served as representative bodies of residents, upholding the will of the people, and have made their best efforts to realize local autonomy’s two pillars: achieving residents’ happiness and regional development, while making local autonomy and creativity the driving force of national development through the realization of decentralized autonomy.

Amid the recent COVID-19 crisis, local governments have been preventing the spread of infectious diseases through creative and diverse countermeasures. This is a rediscovery of localities and an example showing that strengthening local autonomy can become a new driving force for national development. Nevertheless, due to the limitations of the current local autonomy system, it is impossible to implement more creative and proactive countermeasures.

Both public opinion and the political sphere agree that a comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act, which forms the foundation of local autonomy, is necessary to fundamentally improve this. Accordingly, on March 29, 2019, the government proposed a comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act to guarantee active policy participation by residents, expand cooperation between central and local governments, and strengthen the autonomy and expertise of local councils.

The National Council of Chairpersons of City and Provincial Councils expressed support and welcome for the government’s revision bill and strongly requested the passage of the comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act in the 20th National Assembly. Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties agreed on the need to strengthen decentralized autonomy and promised to pass the bill.

However, the 20th National Assembly consistently showed passive deliberation on the bill, and on May 19, the bill was not even tabled at the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee’s bill review subcommittee, which ended the meeting without consideration. The bill was discarded along with the end of the 20th National Assembly’s term.

Now, despite the COVID-19 crisis, the 21st National Assembly, newly formed following the April general election held amid the public’s desire for national development and democracy, must no longer delay the passage of the Local Autonomy Act, a livelihood bill for realizing regional democracy, resident autonomy, and resident sovereignty.

Since the implementation of local autonomy in 1991, the comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act has been prepared reflecting the opinions of residents, local governments, and academic experts in the field of local autonomy, as well as through coordination among local and central governments and the National Assembly. The 21st National Assembly is strongly urged to expedite the process from bill proposal to review by the relevant standing committee, the Judiciary Committee, and plenary session approval, so that the revised law can be promulgated by the end of December this year.

May 28, 2020

National Council of Chairpersons of City and Provincial Councils Chairperson Shin Won-chul

Chairperson of Busan Metropolitan City Council

Park In-young

Chairperson of Daegu Metropolitan City Council

Bae Ji-sook

Chairperson of Incheon Metropolitan City Council

Lee Yong-beom

Chairperson of Gwangju Metropolitan City Council

Kim Dong-chan

Chairperson of Daejeon Metropolitan City Council

Kim Jong-cheon