Choi Hyung-sik, Damyang County Governor, Proposes Improvement of Jeollanam-do Basic Councilor Quota Calculation Criteria

[Damyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Choi Hyungsik, the mayor of Damyang County, announced on the 2nd that he delivered a letter requesting improvement of the criteria for determining the number of basic council members in Jeollanam-do to Jeollanam-do and the Jeollanam-do Council.

Through the letter, Mayor Choi demanded that the allocation of the number of basic council members, which is currently determined by a uniform method centered on population, should consider not only population but also the representativeness and uniqueness of administrative districts and living zones. He also requested active review to maintain the existing number of basic council members in consideration of the reality of rural areas, which are increasingly facing difficulties due to population decline.

He also expressed concerns about the impact of this decision on basic councils amid the growing value of local councils, as the Local Autonomy Act is being revised to strengthen the independence and transparency of local councils, including the introduction of policy support professionals and independence of personnel authority, marking the 30th anniversary of local autonomy.

Among the 22 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do, 18 are experiencing a population extinction crisis.

Adopting a criterion that prioritizes only population without considering all regional conditions such as area and tourism industry contradicts the government's efforts to develop local autonomy centered on residents' councils and the true aspects of resident and local autonomy, along with the revision of the Local Autonomy Act to strengthen the independence and transparency of local councils on the 30th anniversary of local autonomy.

According to the proposed criteria by the Jeollanam-do city and county council electoral district delimitation committee, with 35% population and 65% eup/myeon/dong (township/neighborhood) factors, the number of council members allocated will decrease from the current 9 to 8, reducing by one member.

Damyang County is experiencing a population increase trend through continuous ecological urbanization policies and projects to create residential conditions harmonized with a pleasant natural environment. As a complex art tourism city combining natural, historical, cultural, and humanities elements, with an annual floating population reaching six million and considering the future specialization and segmentation of administrative demands, the county argues that increasing the number of council members to 15 would better reflect regional representativeness.

Mayor Choi Hyungsik said, “Reducing the number of basic council members, who serve as the voice of the residents on the front lines alongside the administration and represent the voices of the residents, contradicts the true aspects of resident autonomy and local autonomy.” He added, “We will do our best to ensure that resident- and council-centered living autonomy can develop.”

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