The Committee on Decentralization and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Hold '30th Anniversary Ceremony of Local Councils'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Korea Council of Local Assemblies representing provincial councils, and the Korea Council of City, County, and District Assemblies jointly held the "30th Anniversary Ceremony of Local Assemblies" on the 1st at the Sejong Convention Center.

Local assemblies, first established in 1952, were dissolved by the military government in 1961 and reestablished through local elections in 1991. The ceremony featured video congratulatory messages from President Moon Jae-in and National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, a screening of the video "30 Years of History and Achievements of Local Assemblies," awards for distinguished contributors to local assemblies, and a commemorative ceremony. A promotional exhibition titled "The Path Walked by Local Assemblies" was also held.

Attending the ceremony were Kim Soon-eun, Chairperson of the Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization; Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Interior and Safety; Kim Han-jong, Chairman of the Korea Council of Local Assemblies representing provincial councils; and Jo Young-hoon, Chairman of the Korea Council of City, County, and District Assemblies, among other officials.

The attendees gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the reestablishment of local assemblies and agreed that local assemblies must be reborn as proud representative institutions of residents. They proclaimed a future vision of local assemblies as "local assemblies that create the dreams and hopes of residents." To this end, the government and local assemblies resolved to continue cooperating closely.

As a side event, a promotional exhibition on the history of local assemblies titled "The Path Walked by Local Assemblies" was held. The exhibition showcased records held by the Presidential Archives and other government agencies, as well as documents, photos, and video materials from various local assemblies, all gathered in one place to provide a comprehensive view of the history from the inception, dissolution, reestablishment, to the development of local assemblies.

Chairman Kim Han-jong stated, "With the 30th anniversary of the launch of local assemblies and the comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act after 32 years, assemblies are striving to respond to new changes in the autonomy system. We will go beyond communication to walk together with the people, aiming to become the Korea Council of Local Assemblies that leads people-centered, assembly-led local autonomy by creating the dreams and hopes of the people."

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol emphasized, "This year marks the beginning of the Autonomy and Decentralization 2.0 era, where the paradigm of local autonomy shifts from heads of local governments to residents and local assemblies." He added, "Now is the time to leap forward as an advanced country in local decentralization." He further expressed hope that "the 243 local assemblies will become the main actors leading the Autonomy and Decentralization 2.0 era."

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