Seoul Metropolitan Council Policy Committee Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team Major Policy Diagnosis Results Released

The 'Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team' Led by Policy Committee Chair Jeong Ji-gwon Conducts 30 Policy Diagnoses... Results Report Publicly Released on Policy Committee Website... Recommendations to Be Submitted to Seoul City for Policy Reference

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Seoul Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim In-ho), which has been a driving force in advancing into a policy-centered working council, has formed the 'Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team,' an ambitious project led by the 17th Chairman Jeong Ji-kwon (Seongdong 2, Democratic Party). The team disclosed the diagnosis results of 30 major Seoul city policies on December 30 last year through the Seoul Metropolitan Council website.

Along with this, recommendations will be made to reflect these in Seoul city policy formulation.

The Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team was divided into four subcommittees?Administrative Autonomy Innovation, Culture-Environment-Transportation, Education-Health-Welfare, and Urban Infrastructure Improvement?to complete diagnosis results on policies by sector.

Administrative Autonomy Innovation Subcommittee: Chairman Assemblyman Lim Jong-guk (Jongno 2, Democratic Party)

Culture-Environment-Transportation Subcommittee: Chairman Assemblyman Lee Kwang-sung (Gangseo 5, Democratic Party)

Education-Health-Welfare Subcommittee: Chairman Assemblyman Jang Sang-gi (Gangseo 6, Democratic Party)

Urban Infrastructure Improvement Subcommittee: Chairman Assemblywoman Lee Kyung-sun (Seongbuk 4, Democratic Party)

Moreover, the 'Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team' conducted difficult policy diagnosis discussions without interruption through written and online non-face-to-face activities, except for one face-to-face subcommittee meeting, amid the crisis situation of COVID-19.

Despite these challenging conditions, all 30 members of the 'Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team' made their best efforts to provide sharp analysis and accurate diagnosis of 30 major policies, further developing good policies and boldly criticizing insufficient ones to lay the foundation for policy proposals that help citizens' lives.

In particular, by referring to successful cases from other cities or overseas for benchmarking, the team examined whether there were parts to be benchmarked, viewed policies from new perspectives through expert papers, and proposed vibrant policy changes in line with changing times through the latest press releases, deeply considering directions to improve citizens' lives.

First, the policy diagnosis results for projects and policies in the administrative autonomy innovation sector generally yielded several implications. Overall, policies were being implemented as planned, with some leading aspects; however, there were criticisms of generally insufficient performance and areas requiring improvement. Innovative policies such as Zero Pay and support for foreign startups are relatively recent projects that need to be supplemented and developed from a long-term perspective.

For projects requiring cooperation with the central government, active efforts are needed to prepare response measures such as urging demands and promoting legislation. It is recommended to conduct constructive reviews to reflect proposals for future policies in the administrative autonomy innovation sector, and benchmarking of other cities or overseas cases suggested in the policy diagnosis should be considered.

According to the diagnosis results of the Culture-Environment-Transportation Subcommittee, policies related to subway Wi-Fi, cultural and artistic sponsorship, and the metropolitan landfill site were judged to be directionless and neglected, indicating the need for effective policy formulation referencing the proposed contents.

The social mix for improving rental housing residential culture for coexistence is currently underway but has encountered problems, suggesting the need to achieve policy goals through a new direction.

Other diagnosed policies such as subway elevator safety, electric vehicle supply, and expansion of living culture centers are progressing normally but require some supplementation.

Furthermore, it is necessary not only to focus on benevolent policy formulation but also to prepare unavoidable policies such as those concerning undesirable facilities. For example, the metropolitan landfill site project, which has a deadline of August 2025, requires cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon City. Since the project is expected to be difficult without appropriate compensation, meticulous and prompt policy formulation and implementation through benchmarking overseas cases and continuous communication with stakeholders seem necessary.

In the education-health-welfare sector, the selected projects and policies mainly presented diagnoses of insufficient parts in policy implementation and suggested improvements.

First, hasty project implementation focused on executive performance was criticized, indicating the need for thorough diagnosis and meticulous preparation before policy implementation.

Among them, projects like the Social Service Agency and regional health comprehensive care lacked criteria to measure qualitative outcomes, requiring consideration of introducing effective measures or indicators. Care services, the Social Service Agency, and youth disability policies commonly require the establishment of cooperative systems with related organizations, and specific alternatives need to be prepared for this.

In the urban planning policy sector, the Gateway City Development Project was diagnosed as not considering the characteristics of cities that influence each other organically during policy formulation, leading to the proposal of alternatives. The public rental housing project included supply volumes already under construction or completed and LH supply volumes during planning, offsetting poor housing supply performance with easily achievable financial support results, and diagnosed that achieving goals within the target deadline was practically difficult due to additional new housing supply measures.

Also, small-scale housing maintenance projects were planned without prior accurate surveys, causing budget waste and severely damaging policy goals, which lowered trust in Seoul's real estate policies.

Other projects pointed out problems arising during policy implementation and proposed measures to supplement them.

Lastly, a new certification system was proposed from an expert perspective for water recycling projects through the introduction of a water circulation certification system for buildings still under preparation.

When formulating policies in the Urban Infrastructure Improvement Subcommittee in the future, first, accurate status surveys, definitions of terms, scope, and standards should be the basis; second, once policies are established, they should be implemented on schedule while checking for side effects or unforeseen problems through interim inspections, promoting not only achievement of results but also accessibility to policy goals.

Moreover, policy formulation should consider not only immediate problems but also macro and long-term issues, ensuring no neglect in policy formulation for future generations.

Chairman Jeong Ji-kwon of the Policy Committee stated, “The 'Seoul Policy Diagnosis T/F Team,' launched amid concerns about whether the Seoul Metropolitan Council, mostly composed of ruling party members, could properly diagnose and point out problems in the executive branch's policies during the unprecedented administrative vacancy caused by the mayor's absence, dispelled such unfounded worries through thorough research and diagnosis by our 30 members. We pledge that the Policy Committee will strive in 2021 for bold policy implementation that Seoul citizens can feel.”

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