Dobong-gu Mayor Dongjin Lee Elected President of the Democratic Party Basic Local Government Council

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Democratic Party of Korea announced on the 6th that Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, Seoul, was elected as the new representative (chairman) of the party's Basic Local Government Heads Association.

The Democratic Party of Korea's National Basic Local Government Heads Association is an intra-party council consisting of about 154 basic local government heads as members. The association has actively led efforts to realize genuine grassroots democracy and build a decentralized nation where citizens are happy by urging the enactment of the Local Transfer Act and the revision of the Local Autonomy Act.

Newly appointed Chairman Lee Dong-jin stated, “The Basic Local Government Heads Association will be reborn through greater solidarity and cooperation to loudly convey the small voices from the lowest administrative frontlines to the highest levels. Taking the 30th anniversary of the revival of local autonomy and the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act after 32 years as an opportunity, we aim to open the true ‘Autonomy and Decentralization 2.0 Era.’ Now is the time to transform the current centralized national model into a decentralized model suitable for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. Changing the relationship between the central government and local governments from a vertical master-servant relationship to a horizontal cooperative relationship is an essential factor for strengthening national competitiveness,” expressing his inauguration aspirations.

Meanwhile, Lee Dong-jin, the first three-term mayor of Dobong-gu, Seoul, who has led Dobong-gu through the 5th, 6th, and 7th direct elections, currently serves as the chairman of the Autonomy and Decentralization Local Government Association, president of the Autonomy and Decentralization University, and chairman of the Korean Human Rights Cities Association. Until June of this year, he also served as chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Mayors Association and executive vice chairman of the National Mayors, County Heads, and District Heads Association.

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