Ordinance Submitted by Residents Must Be Reviewed and Resolved Within One Year... Legislative Proposal Passed by National Assembly

Starting Next Year... Full Implementation: Claimant Age Lowered to 18, Claim Requirements Eased, Procedures Simplified

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] In the future, residents will be able to directly submit ordinance proposals to local councils, and the age of eligibility for petitioners will be adjusted from the current 19 years to 18 years or older. Additionally, ‘resident petition ordinance proposals’ submitted by residents to local councils must be reviewed and resolved within one year from the date of acceptance.

On the 28th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the bill for the enactment of the "Resident Ordinance Proposal Act," which strengthens residents' direct participation in local self-government administration to enhance the democracy and accountability of local self-government administration, has passed the plenary session of the National Assembly.

This enactment bill was promoted as a follow-up to the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act in January, which established the legal basis for operating the resident ordinance petition system as an independent legal framework. Since its introduction in 1999, the resident ordinance petition system has seen low petition numbers, averaging about 13 cases per year, due to strict petition requirements and complicated procedures.

The enactment bill is scheduled to take effect on January 13 next year, coinciding with the enforcement date of the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act, which includes the operational basis for the resident ordinance petition system. First, the age of eligibility for petitioners will be lowered from the current 19 years to 18 years to match the voting age under the Public Official Election Act, thereby activating youth participation in local communities. The age of eligibility for petitioners, which was 20 years or older when introduced in 1999, was lowered once to 19 years in 2006.

The signature requirements will be subdivided from two stages (metropolitan and basic) into six stages based on population size, easing the signature requirements, with only upper limits stipulated in the law. As a result, signature requirements are expected to be eased in 163 out of 243 local governments nationwide (67%). Previously, resident petition ordinance proposals were submitted to local councils via the heads of local governments, but from now on, they will be submitted directly to local councils, simplifying the petition procedure. Additionally, a ‘Digital Resident Direct Participation Platform (tentative name)’ will be established to allow residents to submit resident ordinance petitions, sign petitions, issue certificates, and check results online without visiting local governments in person, with services to be provided starting January next year.

Furthermore, to enhance the effectiveness of the resident ordinance petition system, local councils will be obligated to review and resolve accepted petition ordinance proposals within one year. Petition ordinance proposals will not be automatically discarded upon the expiration of the four-year local council term but will continue to be reviewed during the next four-year term, strengthening the enforceability of petition ordinance proposals.

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol stated, “With the enactment of the Resident Ordinance Proposal Act as an independent individual law after 22 years, we expect the strengthening and expansion of resident sovereignty suitable for the era of Autonomy and Decentralization 2.0,” and added, “We will actively support the practical activation of resident ordinance petitions by providing easy-to-understand guidance on the improved resident ordinance petition system to residents.”

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