‘Heo Seong-mu, Mayor of Changwon’s Resilient Administration’ Special City Status Passed in National Assembly Triumphantly

Mayor Heo: "Achieving the aspirations of 1.04 million citizens... Efforts to secure authority befitting a special city"

After Changwon City was designated as a special city, Mayor Heo Seong-mu expressed his thoughts. (Photo by Changwon City)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Sharon] The Local Autonomy Act amendment bill, which includes the designation of Changwon Special City, passed the National Assembly on the 9th.

Mayor Heo Seong-mu of Changwon first proposed the designation of Changwon Special City in October 2018, marking a great achievement after 2 years and 2 months.

The path to the designation of Changwon Special City was by no means smooth.

In August 2018, Mayor Heo, who led the launch of a joint response organization for four major cities, leveraged this momentum to visit the National Assembly from October of that year to propose the designation of a special city. In March 2019, the amendment bill to the Local Autonomy Act, including the designation of special cities, was submitted to the National Assembly for the first time.

However, the bill was discarded without proper discussion in the 20th National Assembly, and the designation of special cities returned to square one as the 21st National Assembly began.

Since October 2018, Mayor Heo has visited the National Assembly and other places over 50 times to propose the designation of Changwon Special City. Through numerous meetings with key figures such as Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young, and lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, Mayor Heo knocked on doors for the designation of a special city, which is the hope of 1.04 million Changwon citizens.

Finally, the amendment bill to the Local Autonomy Act, including the designation of special cities, was once again included in the 21st National Assembly submitted in July, and on the 9th, 2 years and 2 months after Mayor Heo’s first proposal in October 2018, the designation of Changwon Special City was officially confirmed in the plenary session of the National Assembly.

After completing the National Assembly schedule, Mayor Heo stood before the citizens on the 10th and emphasized in his welcoming speech, “The realization of Changwon Special City was achieved by the 1.04 million citizens of Changwon who quietly protected the region despite many difficulties since the launch of the integrated city.”

He continued, “In 2022, when Changwon Special City officially launches, we plan to continuously consult with the National Assembly, government, and Gyeongsangnam-do to secure powers befitting the status of a special city and to lead the city’s development. We will not hesitate to negotiate for the happiness of our citizens,” expressing his determination.

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