Yongsan-gu Expands Seoul-style Resident Autonomy Committees to 16 Neighborhoods

According to the Special Act on Local Autonomy Decentralization and Local Administrative System Reform... Pilot districts to hold policy sharing meetings in May-June, recruit 2nd term committee members in August-October... Expanded districts to prepare community autonomy meeting spaces in the first half of the year and hold inauguration ceremonies at year-end

Virtual Reality Residents' Assembly of Yongsan 2-ga-dong held in December last year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) will expand the Seoul-type Resident Autonomy Committee project to all 16 neighborhoods (dong) this year.

The Resident Autonomy Committee is a neighborhood resident representative organization that carries out projects related to resident autonomy and public-private cooperation to enhance democratic participation awareness. While the existing Resident Autonomy Committee served as an advisory body for the neighborhood, the Resident Autonomy Committee now holds actual authority to establish autonomy plans and directly execute projects.

The district divides the project into pilot neighborhoods (Yongsan 2-ga, Hyochang, Yongmun, Hangang-ro, Hannam-dong) and expanded neighborhoods (Huam, Namyeong, Cheongpa, Wonhyo-ro 1, Wonhyo-ro 2, Ichon 1, Ichon 2, Itaewon 1, Itaewon 2, Seobinggo, Bogwang-dong) and promotes the project accordingly.

For the pilot neighborhoods, an operation plan will be established by May, autonomy plan agendas will be developed, and lists by division will be organized. A policy sharing meeting for the Resident Autonomy Committee will be held in May to June, a preparation committee for the residents' general meeting will be formed in early June, and the general meeting will be completed by September. From August to October, the second term committee members will be recruited, and a commissioning ceremony is planned around the end of the year.

For the expanded neighborhoods, office space for the Resident Autonomy Committee will be prepared in the first half of the year, and a plan for newly forming the Resident Autonomy Committee will be established by July. A Resident Autonomy School will be operated for applicants in September to October, followed by a public lottery for new committee members. The election of executives and secretaries and the launching ceremony will all be completed by the end of the year. The committee members’ term is two years, with the possibility of reappointment.

A district official said, “In accordance with the Special Act on Decentralization of Local Autonomy and Reform of Local Administrative Systems, we have been operating the Resident Autonomy Committee pilot project since 2019,” adding, “This year, we will expand it to all neighborhoods to contribute to the realization of grassroots democracy.”

Since 2019, under the district mayor’s policy, the district has established a plan for the Seoul-type Resident Autonomy Committee pilot project, held resident briefings by region, enacted ordinances on the establishment and operation of the Resident Autonomy Committee in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, established operational rules for pilot neighborhood Resident Autonomy Committees, and proceeded with procedures such as establishing and approving autonomy plans by division.

In particular, at the end of last year, residents’ general meetings (performance sharing meetings) were held online for each pilot neighborhood, sharing various village agendas with about 600 participants. The nation’s first-ever “Virtual Reality (VR) Residents’ General Meeting (Yongsan 2-ga dong)” also received positive responses, recording 1,300 views on YouTube.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “We have successfully completed the Seoul-type Resident Autonomy Committee pilot project, which encompasses professional and private organizations as well as residents, over two years,” adding, “The district will spare no support for the operation of the Resident Autonomy Committee to continuously expand public-private cooperation policies at the neighborhood level.”

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