Gwangju City Bitter Criticism Committee Establishes Itself as a Citizen Communication Channel

Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, is delivering a greeting at the 3rd meeting of the Criticism Committee held on the afternoon of the 12th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the afternoon of the 12th that it held the 3rd meeting of the ‘Gwangju City Candid Opinion Committee’ at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center.

At the meeting, among a total of 12 proposed agenda items based on opinions shared by the committee members through overall and subcommittee sharing channels, four major items were intensively discussed, and eight items were reviewed in writing.

The committee first proposed four items: ▲Preventing reckless development of Mudeungsan in Gwangju (Is a Mudeungsan cable car necessary? Construction of Mudeungsan Shinyang Castle is not allowed) ▲Seeking solutions for abandoned vehicles in Gwangju Metropolitan City ▲Measures for electric kickboards following the revision of the Road Traffic Act ▲Proposing solutions regarding the relocation of Gwangju Songjeong military airport.

In response, the city stated that regarding the prevention of reckless development of Mudeungsan, the installation of a Mudeungsan cable car will be considered long-term if opinions from institutions and civic groups are gathered in the future. In the short term, the city plans to strengthen development activity permit standards by revising urban planning ordinances related to development around Mudeungsan, and in the mid-to-long term, it will reorganize urban management plans.

Regarding the search for solutions to abandoned vehicles, the city is currently operating the ‘Life Inconvenience Reporting App’ under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety through an abandoned vehicle reporting app, which is scheduled to be integrated into the Ministry’s ‘Safety Report’ by the end of the year. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority are conducting joint crackdowns along with autonomous district self-inspections, continuously detecting and handling cases recently. The city pledged to make further efforts for prompt processing to resolve residents’ inconvenience and deterioration of urban aesthetics caused by abandoned vehicles.

Regarding measures for electric kickboards following the revision of the Road Traffic Act, the city explained that it will establish parking guidelines and safety education cooperation standards through a business agreement with rental companies, and promote compliance with safety rules for individual device purchasers through public campaigns, among other various measures.

Regarding solutions for the relocation of Gwangju Songjeong military airport, the city said, “Based on the recommendation announced on the 11th by the Citizens’ Rights Committee regarding the relocation of the civilian and military airports, we will proceed through communication and cooperation with Jeonnam Province, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.”

Additionally, the remaining eight proposed items were reviewed in writing after examination by the relevant departments.

The agenda items proposed by the Candid Opinion Committee through prior activities included ▲Preventing reckless development of Mudeungsan in Gwangju ▲Seeking solutions for abandoned vehicles in Gwangju Metropolitan City ▲Installation of vehicle guidance lines on multi-lane roads in Gwangju Metropolitan City ▲Proposing solutions regarding the relocation of Gwangju Songjeong military airport ▲Measures for electric kickboards following the revision of the Road Traffic Act ▲Plans for improving bus stop environments ▲Establishment of shared restroom and drowsiness rest area role bases ▲Implementation of safety guardians in children protection zones linked with relevant schools ▲Activation of reporting routes related to risk factors ▲Supplementing fixed-type CCTV enforcement equipment for illegal parking in front of schools ▲Operation of Art Buses on routes 518 and 419 ▲Measures for cold weather protection for public workers, covering a wide range of suggestions from resolving daily inconveniences to proposals concerning the overall city.

Meanwhile, the committee received 57 proposals in the previous two meetings, completed six, is currently implementing or planning to implement 44, with four under long-term review, and three not reflected.

Chairperson Kim Kyung-hee said, “Now that we are at the third meeting, there are still many points to improve in the committee’s operation, but it seems that the foundation for providing proper candid opinions is being established as the meetings progress,” and added, “We will do our best to ensure the Candid Opinion Committee can properly voice candid opinions on Gwangju city administration.”

Mayor Lee Yong-seop also said, “Looking at the committee’s agenda, I feel that the members have a deep affection for city administration and are giving it much thought,” and urged, “Please continue to deliver citizens’ opinions without filtering so that the Candid Opinion Committee can become an active communication channel for local issues and a valuable driving force for Gwangju’s development.”

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