Gwangju Autonomous Police Committee Launch and Plaque Ceremony Held on the 10th

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Autonomous Police Committee will hold an inauguration ceremony and a plaque unveiling ceremony at City Hall on the 10th and begin pilot operations.

The event will be attended by Mayor Lee Yong-seop, City Council Chairman Kim Yong-jip, Administrative Autonomy Committee Chairman Lee Hong-il, Council members Kim Hak-sil and Song Hyung-il, Kim Soon-eun, Chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization, Choi Kwan-ho, Planning and Coordination Officer of the National Police Agency, Kim Gyo-tae, Chief of Gwangju Police Agency, and members of the Autonomous Police Committee.

Before the inauguration ceremony, a cooperation agreement will be signed between the Gwangju Autonomous Police Committee and the Gwangju Police Agency, promising the successful establishment and mutual cooperation of the Autonomous Police Committee. Then, Mayor Lee Yong-seop will present appointment letters to the seven members of the Autonomous Police Committee, and they will move to the 12th floor where the Secretariat is located to hold the plaque unveiling ceremony.

On the same day, the Autonomous Police Committee will hold its first meeting to deliberate on agenda items such as the election of the standing member.

The chairman will be appointed as a level 2 political official as of the 10th, and the standing member will be appointed as a level 3 political official around the 13th after the committee's recommendation and recruitment procedures.

Gwangju City disclosed the preliminary appointments of the Autonomous Police Committee members at a press briefing on the 20th of last month, and after verifying qualifications and disqualifications, finalized the seven members on the 29th.

The term of office for the members is three years from the 10th to May 9, 2024, and reappointment is not allowed.

The chairman is Kim Tae-bong, former professor at Chonnam National University Law School. The members are ▲ Oh Jae-il, emeritus professor of Public Administration at Chonnam National University ▲ Oh Yoon-soo, former head of the Security Division at Gwangju Police Agency ▲ Song Ji-hyun, lawyer and representative of Women’s Hotline ▲ Moon Ki-jeon, Secretary General of Gwangju YMCA ▲ Shin Kwang-sik, lawyer ▲ and Jeong Young-pal, director of KBC News Department.

Two members from academia, two from the legal profession, one from civic organizations, one from the media, and one former police officer are evenly distributed among the fields. Two female members and three human rights experts are included, raising expectations for warm policies for socially vulnerable groups.

The “Ordinance on the Organization and Operation of the Autonomous Police Affairs and the Autonomous Police Committee” will also take effect from the 10th.

The committee is established as a consensus-based administrative body under the mayor and performs tasks such as deliberation and resolution of major policies related to autonomous police affairs, auditing of autonomous police affairs, grievance review, and consultation with the National Police Agency regarding administrative coordination.

The Secretariat is organized with one bureau, two divisions, and six teams, totaling 28 members, and the office space is prepared on the 12th floor of City Hall. Seventeen city officials (including two political officials) and eleven police officers will work together.

Kim Il-yong, Director of the Autonomous Administration Bureau of the city, said, “So far, we have focused on preparing for the implementation of the autonomous police system, including the formation of the Autonomous Police Committee, establishment of the Secretariat, and enactment of ordinances. From now on, we will accelerate the preparation of detailed implementation plans such as setting the direction of autonomous police policies, developing Gwangju-type projects, and establishing administrative tasks and authorities centered on the newly established Autonomous Police Committee Secretariat.”

Meanwhile, the Gwangju Autonomous Police Committee, the first to be launched in the Honam region, plans to undergo pilot operations until the 30th of next month and then simultaneously launch nationwide on July 1.

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