Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Elected as President of the 17th Second Half Korea Council of City and Provincial Council Chairpersons

3 Major Focus Goals Presented ▲End COVID-19 & Stabilize Livelihoods ▲Practical Autonomy & Decentralization ▲Strengthen Council Status... New Chairman Kim In-ho Declares "National Association of City and Provincial Council Chairs Will Be the Core of Local Council Solidarity, Leap, and Change"

Kim In-ho, the newly elected chairman (right), is delighted to receive congratulatory flowers after his election.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Korea Council of Chairs of City and Provincial Councils announced on the 29th, at the regular meeting of the council, that Kim In-ho, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party of Korea), was elected as the 17th second half-term Chairperson.

The "Korea Council of Chairs of City and Provincial Councils" (formerly the National Council of Chairs of City and Provincial Councils, established in June 2000) is a cooperative body composed of chairpersons of the 17 city and provincial councils. It leads the advancement of local autonomy in Korea through mutual exchange and cooperation regarding the operation of local councils, joint activities to improve unreasonable laws and systems, and other efforts to promote decentralization and local self-government.

Chairperson Kim In-ho, elected as Chairperson, will serve as a focal point to gather opinions from the chairpersons of the 17 city and provincial councils until the end of June next year, promoting mutual exchange and cooperation for the development of local autonomy and the operation of local councils.

Chairperson Kim is a three-term city council member who served in the 8th, 9th, and 10th Seoul Metropolitan Councils. He has held positions such as Chairperson of the Finance and Economy Committee in the 8th Seoul Metropolitan Council and Vice Chairperson of the 9th Seoul Metropolitan Council. Currently, he serves as the Chairperson of the 10th second half-term Seoul Metropolitan Council.

The council explained the background by stating, "Chairperson Kim, as a three-term city council member and chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, has a deeper understanding of local councils than anyone else and has long led efforts to strengthen the status of local councils and develop local autonomy. The Seoul Metropolitan Council is preparing a standard model for the revision of the Local Autonomy Act, and he was elected because he is expected to lead the leap forward of local councils with strong leadership."

In his inaugural speech, Chairperson Kim emphasized, "I have taken on the role of Chairperson at a time when the role of local councils is growing in importance to resolve various crises. I will strive to successfully achieve three tasks: ending COVID-19 and stabilizing people's livelihoods, realizing practical decentralization, and strengthening the status of the council."

Regarding the specific roles of the council, he stated, "We will become the 'central axis of solidarity' promoting cooperation and coexistence among local councils to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, the 'central axis of leap' to ensure the practical establishment of the revised Local Autonomy Act, and the 'central axis of change' to elevate the council's status so that the voice of local councils is further strengthened in solving the remaining tasks of decentralization."

Finally, Chairperson Kim stressed the responsibility of city and provincial councils nationwide by saying, "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the revival of local councils, and local councils must demonstrate their potential and actively resolve citizens' difficulties."

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