President Moon: "The 'Central-Local Cooperation Meeting,' akin to a second Cabinet meeting, is a historic event"

Cheong Wa Dae Declares the Opening of the 'Autonomous Decentralization 2.0 Era'... Simultaneous Enforcement of Laws Strengthening Autonomous Decentralization

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 13th, President Moon Jae-in presided over the 1st Central-Local Cooperation Meeting at the Blue House and stated, "The official launch of the Central-Local Cooperation Meeting, which has the character of a ‘Second Cabinet Meeting,’ is a very historic event."

President Moon held the meeting with participation from mayors and governors nationwide, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, celebrating the opening of the ‘Autonomy Decentralization 2.0’ era. In particular, President Moon emphasized, "Five laws that strengthen decentralization, including the fully revised ‘Local Autonomy Act,’ will be simultaneously enforced starting today."

President Moon explained, "Today marks a new beginning for local autonomy and the holding of the 1st Central-Local Cooperation Meeting. Although meetings among mayors and governors have been held so far, this is a system defined by law and endowed with binding force."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "The Central-Local Cooperation Meeting is a new national governance system. Major national issues related to localities will be closely consulted and decided together by local and central governments," and predicted, "It will hold meetings once every quarter and become the highest decision-making body dealing with local agendas."

President Moon explained, "Over the past four and a half years, the government has steadily expanded the autonomy of local governments. It has transferred 400 national affairs to localities in bulk and introduced a customized special case system for cities, counties, and districts to grant necessary authority to basic local governments."

President Moon conveyed, "At today’s first Central-Local Cooperation Meeting, we plan to review the achievements of decentralization so far and discuss plans for revitalizing the regional economy and promoting super-regional cooperation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, people’s livelihoods remain difficult, and the problem of concentration in the metropolitan area has not been resolved. Era-defining challenges such as low birthrate and aging population, the 4th Industrial Revolution, and climate change can only be effectively addressed by the central and local governments working together," adding, "In particular, efforts must be focused on revitalizing local areas. The regional economy is the foundation of the national economy."

President Moon added, "I ask that you actively discuss measures to restore local consumption, including prompt support for small business owners. I also hope that measures to respond to mid- to long-term structural changes will be proactively prepared and reviewed."

President Moon said, "Super-regional cooperation is a core policy for balanced national development that will dramatically change residents’ lives," and stated, "We must ensure the success of super-regional cooperation and prove that it is an effective alternative for balanced national development."

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