Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Legislate in 5 Key Areas Including Local Autonomy and Fiscal Decentralization... Also Establishing Foundation for Healing Historical Wounds

Promotion of Enactment and Amendment of 15 Bills in 5 Major Areas
Jeon Hae-cheol: "Thorough Follow-up Measures, Continuous Implementation of Necessary Policies"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has disclosed the status of enactment and revision of 15 major laws in five key areas pursued from 2019 to last year to realize a safe society, inaugurate the era of Autonomy Decentralization 2.0, and promote government innovation. The major legislative status in the five areas includes autonomy decentralization (4 laws), fiscal decentralization (3 laws), disaster safety (3 laws), government innovation (3 laws), and past affairs (2 laws), totaling 15 laws.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 24th, since the revival of elected local governments in 1988, the paradigm of local autonomy has shifted from ‘local decentralization’ centered on local governments and heads of local governments to ‘autonomy decentralization’ centered on residents and their representatives in local councils, laying the foundation for the era of ‘Autonomy Decentralization 2.0.’ In the comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act, achieved for the first time in 32 years, institutional foundations for revolutionary expansion of autonomy decentralization were established by including provisions such as expanding resident participation, strengthening the role of local councils, expanding the autonomy of local governments, and enhancing solidarity and cooperation between the central government, local governments, and local autonomous entities. The enactment and revision of related subsidiary laws were also completed.

Additionally, by simultaneously revising laws under the jurisdiction of multiple ministries, the enactment of the ‘1st Local Government Comprehensive Transfer Act’ transferred central government authority to local governments, significantly expanding local authority and autonomy.

In the field of fiscal decentralization, through amendments to related laws such as the Local Tax Act, the first and second phases of fiscal decentralization were completed, greatly expanding local finances and promoting balanced development, thereby laying a financial foundation for the practical realization of autonomy decentralization. As a result of the first and second phases of fiscal decentralization, local governments have expanded local finances by more than 13.8 trillion KRW annually, which they can operate independently with authority and responsibility, without additional tax burdens on the public.

In particular, in the second phase of fiscal decentralization, a Local Extinction Response Fund worth 10 trillion KRW over 10 years (1 trillion KRW annually) was newly established to expand infrastructure in underdeveloped areas, and part of the increase in local consumption tax, which is a city/province tax, was directly distributed to cities, counties, and districts, achieving harmony between fiscal decentralization and balanced development.

In the disaster safety sector, major laws related to disaster safety were enacted and revised to protect the precious lives and property of the people, innovating the disaster safety management system and strengthening disaster site response capabilities. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) was organized with the Prime Minister as its head to establish and operate a unified command, support, and cooperation system. The revision of the Disaster and Safety Act provided the legal basis for a joint deputy chief system, enabling the Minister of Health and Welfare and the Minister of the Interior and Safety to serve as joint deputy chiefs of the CDSCH during the COVID-19 crisis, leveraging their expertise while performing integrated government-wide responses.

Furthermore, to enable integrated command and mutual cooperation among related agencies such as police, fire services, coast guard, and local governments, the Disaster Safety Communication Network Act was enacted to unify the different wireless communication networks of each agency into a nationwide single communication network, allowing organic responses to increasingly complex and large-scale disasters. Subsequently, to improve public access to safety information, regulations were established requiring the national and local governments to actively disclose safety information. The Disaster Relief Act was also revised to support rapid psychological recovery of citizens who experienced large-scale disasters such as typhoons, fires, and infectious diseases, enabling support from accident prevention to recovery and beyond.

In the field of government innovation, laws related to government innovation such as the Data-Based Administration Act, Information Disclosure Act, and Petition Act supported scientific administration based on data and systems and established the status of Korea as a digital leading country. The comprehensive revision of the Petition Act for the first time in 60 years enabled the constitutional right to petition to be practically realized. Additionally, an Integrated Data Analysis Center was established to support scientific decision-making on policy issues, and by opening national key data with high public demand such as new industries, jobs, and social values, private sector utilization was enhanced, laying the foundation for economic and administrative revitalization.

In the area of past affairs, legislative compensation and reparation for victims and bereaved families caused by state wrongdoing were carried out to fulfill the state’s obligations and responsibilities, laying the foundation for reconciliation and healing of past affairs. With the revision of the Past Affairs Settlement Act, the 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission was launched in December 2020, enabling truth-finding on past affairs that had been at a standstill since the end of the 1st Commission’s activities in 2010.

The revision of the Jeju 4.3 Incident Act introduced special retrial provisions, allowing the restoration of honor for about 2,500 people who were imprisoned through illegal military trials at the time, and for the first time established a legal basis for compensation for civilian victims before and after the Korean War. Furthermore, through expert consultation and opinions from bereaved families, compensation standards for 4.3 Incident victims (up to 90 million KRW, etc.) were finalized, and compensation is scheduled to be provided sequentially starting this year.

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said, “As the ministry overseeing local autonomy, government innovation, public safety, and past affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has achieved several legislative accomplishments as a result of efforts to establish institutional foundations for major policies,” and added, “We will make every effort to ensure that these major policies are properly settled throughout society and felt as changes in the lives of the people, and will continue to promote necessary policies through follow-up measures.”

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