Gwangju City Council Holds Policy Forum on '30 Years of Local Autonomy Revival'

Evaluation of Legislative Activities and Sharing of Future Vision

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim Yongjip) marked the 30th anniversary of the revival of local autonomy by organizing an event to evaluate its legislative activities so far and share future visions.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council announced on the 8th that it will hold a ‘Policy Discussion (Seminar)’ commemorating the 30th anniversary of the revival of local autonomy and the opening of local councils on the 13th at 2 p.m. in the 5th-floor Budget and Accounts Committee meeting room.

The policy discussion (seminar) is jointly hosted by the Gwangju Metropolitan Council and the Korea Governance Association, with support from Gwangju Metropolitan City, Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Journalists Association.

This policy discussion (seminar) will be held under the theme “A New Era of Local Autonomy: The Direction the Gwangju Metropolitan Council Should Take.”

Jeong Soon-gwan, former chairman of the Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy, will deliver the keynote speech, sharing the achievements of local autonomy decentralization so far and exploring directions to open a substantial and advanced “Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0 Era.”

Following this, the main discussion will feature thematic presentations and passionate debates among representatives of civic groups and experts.

The first subtopic, “Complete Revision of the Local Autonomy Act and the Response of Local Councils,” will be chaired by Professor Kang In-ho of Chosun University. Geum Chang-ho from the Korea Institute of Local Administration will present on “Practical Measures for the Independence of Personnel Authority in Local Councils,” and Min Hyun-jung, senior research fellow at the Gwangju-Jeonnam Research Institute, will present on “Efficient Support Measures for Policy Support Personnel in Local Councils.” Ki Woo-sik, Secretary General of Participation Autonomy 21, and Jo Gi-seon, director of Gwangju CBS, will participate as discussants, proposing ways to strengthen the independence of local councils.

The second subtopic, “The Necessity and Issues of Enacting the Local Council Act,” will be chaired by Professor Lee Young-cheol of Chonnam National University. Professors So Soon-chang of Konkuk University and Lee Guk-woon of Handong University will present on the theme “Is Exclusive Local Legislation Possible?” Kim Bo-hyun, spokesperson for the National Balanced Development Committee, and Professor Jeong Hoon of Chonnam National University Law School will participate as discussants, exploring legislative decentralization, strengthening fiscal decentralization, and future visions for local government development.

Finally, under the theme “Retrospect and Prospects of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council,” Han Sung-ho, president of the Korea Institute of Public Administration, will chair the session. Kim Dong-chan, former chairman of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council’s first half term, will present, and Professors Yang Young-chul of Jeju National University, So Jin-kwang of Gachon University, Park Gi-gwan, president of the Korean Local Autonomy Association, and Park Jae-man, executive representative of the Gwangju Civic Group Council, will participate in the discussion. They will discuss ways to strengthen the capacity and accountability of local councils and enhance their ability to respond to various regional issues in the Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0 Era.

Chairman Kim Yongjip said, “This year marks the 30th anniversary of the revival of local autonomy, and last December, the Local Autonomy Act was completely revised, with enforcement scheduled for January 2022. It is an important year laying the foundation for the full implementation of the autonomous police system and the transition to resident-centered local autonomy, opening the ‘Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0 Era.’ Since establishing the role and status of local governments and local councils suitable for the Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0 Era is of utmost importance, we will carefully review the discussions from this policy seminar and reflect them in policies to ensure the completion of resident autonomy,” he said.

Meanwhile, despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the Gwangju Metropolitan Council has been actively communicating with citizens in various ways, including pioneering the nation’s first untact (non-face-to-face) ‘online policy discussion’ using YouTube and other platforms.

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