National Association of Mayors of Cities with Over 500,000 Population United for Local Autonomy Development

7th Regular Meeting Held at Jeonju Palbok Art Factory

The National Association of Large City Mayors held a meeting at Jeonju Palbok Art Factory. Photo by Jeonju City Provided

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jae-hee] Major cities in South Korea with populations over 500,000 have formed a consensus that expanding special provisions for metropolitan cities is essential for the development of local autonomy in South Korea.

On the 8th, the 7th Regular Meeting of the National Association of Major City Mayors in the 7th Local Government Term (Chairman Choi Dae-ho, Mayor of Anyang) was held at the Palbok Art Factory in Jeonju, with the heads and deputy heads of 11 cities in attendance.

The attending officials discussed the final report on the research project regarding special provisions for cities with populations over 500,000, the election of the 18th executive board of the association, and the selection of the venue for the 8th regular meeting in the 7th local government term.

They also addressed 14 agenda items including the establishment of reasonable criteria for selecting special cities, proposals for revising laws related to expanding special provisions for cities with populations over 500,000, respect for the inherent authority of local government heads concerning public officials’ duties, and the introduction of excellent local companies to improve issues related to public construction projects.

Furthermore, they held the final report meeting for the “Research Project on Special Provisions for Cities with Populations over 500,000,” which has been promoted through the Korean Local Autonomy Association since last September, focusing on the necessity of expanding special provisions.

The representative special tasks proposed at the meeting included granting authority over urban planning facility decisions, improving the registration license tax rates, fiscal transfers such as improving the attribution of environmental improvement charges and metropolitan transportation facility charges, expanding standards for establishing local government administrative organizations, and relaxing standards for establishing local research institutes.

Member cities plan to jointly respond by presenting the necessity for expanding special provisions to the National Assembly and central government ministries based on the research results and the discussions held at this meeting.

Additionally, the association elected the 18th executive board, with Yoon Hwa-seop, Mayor of Ansan, as chairman; Park Sang-don, Mayor of Cheonan, Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, and Jo Gwang-han, Mayor of Namyangju, as vice-chairmen.

A Jeonju city official stated, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments have played a crucial role as a catalyst in driving central government policies,” adding, “As the era of the nation passes and the era of cities arrives, we will work with member cities of the Major City Association to achieve decentralization through institutional reform.”

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