Kim In-ho, Chairman of Seoul Metropolitan Council, "Leading the Second Act of the Era of Local Autonomy"

Chairman Kim at the 30th Anniversary Seminar on the Revival of Local Autonomy: "Future Tasks of Local Autonomy Must Be Completed with a Decentralized Constitutional Amendment, Local Assembly Act Must Pass" "A New Parliamentary Career Track Should Be Established for Independence of Personnel Authority"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Seoul Metropolitan Council held an academic seminar titled "The Significance of the 30th Anniversary of the Revival of Local Autonomy and the Direction of Local Decentralization" on July 8 at the Korea Press Center to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the revival of local councils.

This seminar, planned to discuss future tasks for the realization of complete local decentralization on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the revival of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, was jointly hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Council, the Korean Local Autonomy Association, the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, and the Korea Institute of Local Administration. Speaker Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly, and Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, sent congratulatory messages in writing.

At the opening ceremony, Seo Young-kyo, Chairperson of the National Assembly's Administrative and Safety Committee, said, "We will strive further to transfer the powers that were centralized to the central government to local governments, and also transfer financial resources to local governments."

National Assembly member Kim Young-bae emphasized, "The remaining task and direction of local autonomy is a constitutional amendment for autonomous decentralization." National Assembly member Lee Hae-sik requested, "Starting with the Seoul Metropolitan Council, local councils nationwide should provide strong support so that the Local Council Act can be passed."

From the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Chairperson Kim In-ho, Vice Chairperson Kim Ki-duk, and other council members attended.

Chairperson Kim In-ho expressed his aspirations, saying, "Thanks to the citizens who overcame fear and took to the streets in 1987, the beginning of full democracy was possible. The Seoul Metropolitan Council, as a leader of local councils, will lead the second act of the era of autonomous decentralization for the next 30 years."

The seminar, conducted in three parts, included panelists such as Seoul council members, academic experts, and citizens. The first part, themed "The Significance of the 30th Anniversary of the Revival of Local Autonomy and Future Tasks," featured a heated discussion. Kim Jeong-tae, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Local Decentralization Task Force, emphasized, "The independence of personnel authority in local councils does not simply mean that the appointing authority has changed from the mayor or governor to the council chairperson, but it starts from the recognition and experience that the administrative affairs of the executive branch and the support affairs of the council's legislative activities are fundamentally different," and stressed, "The establishment of a council-specific personnel system is necessary."

The first part was moderated by Park Gi-gwan, president of the Korean Local Autonomy Association, with panelists including Kim Jeong-tae, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Local Decentralization Task Force; Professor Kim Tae-young of Kyung Hee University; Professor Park No-su of the University of Seoul; Lim Jeong-hyun, policy research committee member of Jeju Provincial Council; Professor Choi Bong-seok of Dongguk University; and Ha Hye-young, legislative researcher at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office.

The second part, themed "The Role and Vision of the Seoul Metropolitan Council for the Era of Local Decentralization 2.0," featured a 100-minute discussion. Jeong Jin-sul, member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Local Decentralization Task Force, stated, "For true local decentralization to be achieved, it is necessary to expand the powers of local councils so that they can properly check the executive branch," and added, "Without the establishment of a council-specific personnel system, personnel authority independence cannot be realized."

The second part was moderated by Professor Hong Jun-hyun of Chung-Ang University, with panelists including Jeong Jin-sul, member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Local Decentralization Task Force; Geum Chang-ho, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of Local Administration; Kim Sang-mi, director of the Local Council Development Institute; Professor Song Gwang-tae of Changwon National University; and Professor Lee Ki-woo of Inha University.

The third part, themed "A New Paradigm for the Realization of Local Decentralization," involved a Q&A session between Seoul council members and youth panelists. Seoul council member Lee Dong-hyun said, "Through local decentralization, projects tailored to the characteristics of each region should be discovered and budget allocation should be made accordingly," and added, "Citizens and council members must cooperate together for this."

Seoul council member Yeo Myung expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your interest in what local councils are doing, what they cannot do, and what they need," and requested, "Please continue to provide the Seoul Metropolitan Council with young and realistic perspectives."

The third part was moderated by Kim In-sook, invited research fellow at STEPI (Science and Technology Policy Institute). Youth panelists included Kwon Ji-ung (former Seoul Youth Honorary Deputy Mayor), Kim Da-ye (Seodaemun-gu Local Decentralization Research Institute), Kim Bo-ram (Matsushita Jeong Kyung-sook), Lee Geon-hak (GR KOREA Associate), Lee Je-bok (Chairperson of the Child Safety Committee), and Han Chi-young (Planning Team Leader at Medici Media).

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