Gwangju City Council "Will Faithfully Communicate with Citizens and Fulfill the Role of Municipal Oversight and Monitoring"

2021 Legislative Review and 2022 Plan Announcement

Committed to Realizing a 'Gwangju-Style Council' Together with Citizens

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim Yongjip) pledged to continue communicating with citizens and faithfully perform its role of checking and monitoring city administration next year.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council concluded all its legislative activities for this year with the end of the 2nd regular session of the 303rd meeting on the 12th, settling the legislative activities of 2021 and announcing the legislative direction for the new year.

The 8th Gwangju Metropolitan Council handled a total of 450 agenda items during nine sessions spanning 125 days from the 295th extraordinary session to the 2nd regular session of the 303rd meeting in 2021, including 273 ordinances, 23 budget and settlement proposals, and 87 consent and approval proposals.

In particular, regarding autonomous legislation such as the enactment and revision of ordinances, to realize resident-centered local autonomy that citizens truly want in the local field, 178 ordinances, accounting for 65% of the total 273 ordinances, were initiated by council members.

In the evaluation of ‘Excellent Local Assembly Ordinances’ hosted by the Korean Local Autonomy Association, the most credible local autonomy research institution in Korea, the council won three awards: ‘Excellence Award’ in the organization category, and ‘Excellence Award’ and ‘Encouragement Award’ in the individual category. It also received the ‘Excellence Award’ in the autonomous legislation category at the ‘30th Anniversary National Local Assembly Best Practices Competition’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The council deliberated and finalized the new year’s budget of 9.6 trillion KRW for Gwangju City and the City Education Office, focusing on revitalizing the local economy and overcoming the COVID-19 crisis to ensure efficient financial management.

Furthermore, the council directly visited 18 local sites including the collapsed building demolition site in Hakdong, Gwangju Global Motors, and Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center to reflect the vivid realities and citizens’ voices in legislation, realizing a ‘policy council that finds solutions on-site through active fieldwork.’

The council also faithfully performed its fundamental function of checking and monitoring city administration.

Through administrative audits of 93 institutions including Gwangju City, the City Education Office, and affiliated organizations, it requested corrections on 722 cases.

It conducted 68 city administration questions and 31 five-minute free speeches to point out problems and propose alternatives on major city administration and current issues, striving to improve administrative efficiency and effectiveness.

Additionally, the council held personnel hearings for candidates such as the director of the Gwangju Welfare Institute, the president of the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, and the president of Gwangju Urban Corporation, working to secure innovation in public institutions and transparency in personnel matters.

Active efforts were also made to resolve local issues.

The council issued a public appeal for the success of the ‘Gwangju-type Job’ and approved acquisition tax reductions for citizens purchasing Casper vehicles and COVID-19 daily recovery support funds for all citizens.

Moreover, together with the chairpersons of six city and provincial councils from Yeongnam and Honam regions, the council worked to include the Moonlight High-Speed Rail in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan, and urged the revision of the special law on the relocation of military airports in Gwangju and Daegu with the Daegu City Council, striving for regional development through coexistence and cooperation between Yeongnam and Honam councils.

In addition, to resolve major local issues, the council closely cooperated and communicated with Gwangju City, political circles, and civil society by issuing 13 statements, adopting 2 proposals, and visiting key institutions for recommendations.

The council also accelerated efforts to realize an open council communicating with citizens.

Through organizational restructuring, it established a dedicated public relations department, strengthened public promotion of legislative activities using video media, and greatly expanded opportunities for citizen participation.

It has strived to realize open legislation by enabling citizens to directly check legislative activities through real-time broadcasting of meeting scenes and attendance at plenary sessions.

By actively responding to 61 citizen petitions and 117 internet complaints, the council focused on timely resolving citizen inconveniences. It also provided young people with opportunities to experience local councils through the first-ever university student mock council this year, enhancing their capabilities as democratic citizens and offering chances to participate in policy-making.

Especially, marking the 30th anniversary of the council’s establishment, it held a vision declaration ceremony to open a new era of local autonomy, presenting three major visions based on 30 years of autonomous legislative achievements: ‘a council faithful to the basics of democracy that returns sovereignty to citizens,’ ‘an advanced council moving toward the future with citizens,’ and ‘a council that nurtures citizens’ happiness.’ It selected and announced 20 ordinances initiated by council members that changed citizens’ lives and compiled a 30-year legislative history recording the footsteps of senior council members.

The council also strengthened the professionalism of legislative activities to propose future-oriented policy alternatives.

To enhance members’ expertise and policy capabilities, it actively operated four member research groups and a policy network involving external experts with five divisions and 24 sessions.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, it held 19 policy forums non-face-to-face via the council’s YouTube account, continuing effective policy development and alternative preparation suited to local characteristics despite the infectious disease crisis.

Finally, the council achieved a foundation for the independence of personnel authority in local councils.

With the revision of the Local Autonomy Act, the independence of personnel authority in local councils will be implemented from January 13 next year. In line with this, the council launched the ‘Personnel Authority Independence Preparation Task Force.’

It established the ‘Basic Plan for Personnel Authority Independence,’ revised and enacted autonomous regulations to enhance the effect of the full revision, signed cooperation agreements on personnel with the executive branch, and promoted manpower supply plans, laying the groundwork for personnel management in the Gwangju Metropolitan Council suitable for local autonomy decentralization and the times.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council also announced its major legislative directions for next year.

First, it will focus its capabilities on resolving urgent local issues.

In 2022, the Gwangju Metropolitan Council plans to protect citizens’ safety until COVID-19 is completely eradicated and strive to revive the economy of ordinary people by providing effective compensation for losses to self-employed and small business owners, alleviating difficulties faced by local residents.

It will also devote itself to establishing meticulous and fundamental systems covering the entire life cycle, including childbirth, childcare, education, employment, and housing, to solve Gwangju’s population decline problem.

Furthermore, it plans to spend the year focusing on solving numerous difficult issues that determine urban competitiveness, such as military airport relocation, development of Eodeungsan tourist complex, and adjustment of autonomous district boundaries, with a sense of joint responsibility with the executive branch.

Additionally, to successfully enter the era of Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0 following the enforcement of the revised Local Autonomy Act, the council plans to carry out legislative activities based on resident autonomy, as residents’ sovereign powers have been significantly strengthened with the introduction of the resident ordinance proposal system, easing of requirements for ordinance enactment, revision, and abolition petitions, and improvements to resident audit, referendum, and recall systems.

The council will make every effort to turn Bitgoeul Gwangju into a model city of local autonomy by leveraging the significant changes in the local autonomy system achieved in over 30 years.

To respond actively to future food resources and the coexistence and integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam, the council will propose policy alternatives and do its best to prepare autonomous legislation on key tasks such as the establishment of the national AI cluster and the Gwangju-type 3 major New Deals, which are future food resources.

Moreover, the Gwangju Metropolitan Council plans to actively participate in the coexistence and integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam beyond local government boundaries so that the southern region of the South Coast can leap forward as a new growth axis.

In addition, by establishing a citizen communication team, the council will listen to citizens’ vivid voices, seek answers to problems on-site through active field activities, and devote itself to playing the role of mediator that suggests better directions to the executive branch and citizens and builds trust.

Chairman Kim Yongjip said, “The 8th Gwangju Metropolitan Council has run breathlessly thinking only of the 1.5 million citizens of Gwangju,” and “Next year, we will focus all our capabilities on citizens’ safety and revitalizing the ordinary people’s economy.”

He added, “With the advent of the Local Autonomy Decentralization 2.0 era following the revision of the Local Autonomy Act, we promise to devote ourselves to legislative activities to create a mature council that truly represents the public will and realizes a ‘Gwangju-style council with citizens.’”

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