Ministry of the Interior and Safety Appoints 22 Experts to 2nd Local Autonomy Pre-Consultation Advisory Group

Advisory Role on Whether Local Autonomy Rights Are Infringed During Enactment and Amendment of Buddhist Laws

Flowchart of the Preliminary Consultation Procedure for Decentralization and Autonomy

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 27th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 26th that it will form the 2nd term of the ‘Local Autonomy Decentralization Preliminary Consultation Advisory Group’ at the Government Seoul Office and present appointment letters.

The 2nd term of the ‘Local Autonomy Decentralization Preliminary Consultation Advisory Group,’ composed of 22 experts in local autonomy including Kim Seok-tae (Emeritus Professor at Kyungpook National University) as the advisory group leader, will be responsible for providing major advice on the local autonomy decentralization preliminary consultation system for two years until July 2023.

Introduced in July 2019, the local autonomy decentralization preliminary consultation system is a system that requires central administrative agencies to consult in advance with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety regarding any infringement on local autonomy rights when drafting or revising relevant laws. During the review process of the preliminary consultation, the appropriateness of task allocation, the appropriateness of national involvement, and the adequacy of guaranteeing local autonomy rights are examined.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, this appointment ceremony will be held as a video conference minimizing on-site participants. Minister Jeon Hae-cheol will attend to deliver a greeting and personally present the appointment letter to the new advisory group leader, Kim Seok-tae. Afterwards, there will be an introduction to the main contents of the Ministry’s local autonomy decentralization preliminary consultation system and discussions on the future direction of the advisory group’s operation.

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said, “The local autonomy decentralization preliminary consultation system has contributed to a reasonable division of roles between the state and local governments and the substantial guarantee of local autonomy rights over the past two years,” and added, “I ask the advisory committee members to pool their wisdom so that the local autonomy decentralization preliminary consultation system can play a key role in ‘Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0’ based on solidarity and cooperation.”

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