Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, Will the Governor-Public Institution Heads 'Term Alignment Ordinance' Pass?

Panoramic view of Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office and Gyeonggi Provincial Council

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi Provincial Council is pushing for the enactment of an ordinance to align the terms of the governor and the heads of affiliated public institutions. However, Gyeonggi Province has expressed opposition to this ordinance, citing concerns such as infringement on autonomy.

On the 17th, the Gyeonggi Provincial Council announced the legislative notice of the "Special Ordinance on the Terms of Policy Aide Public Officials, Heads, and Executives of Invested and Funded Institutions in Gyeonggi Province," proposed by Assemblyman Moon Byung-geun (People Power Party).

The ordinance mainly stipulates that the terms of policy aide public officials and heads of invested and funded institutions expire when the governor's term ends.

Since policy aides such as the Chief Policy Officer, Chief of Opportunity Gyeonggi, and Chief Political Officer already serve concurrent terms with the governor under the Local Public Officials Appointment Decree (Presidential Decree), this ordinance primarily applies to the heads and executives of 27 public institutions under Gyeonggi Province.

Assemblyman Moon stated, "By aligning the terms of heads and executives of affiliated institutions with the governor's term, it is necessary to resolve personnel abuses such as so-called 'preemptive appointments' and fundamentally prevent unnecessary exhausting disputes to promote smooth provincial administration."

Notably, among the 16 provincial assembly members who signed this ordinance, three belong to the Democratic Party of Korea.

Gyeonggi Province responded, "If the terms of executives are regulated by ordinance, the autonomy of institution operations will be infringed upon, and if the terms of the governor and all executives of affiliated institutions end simultaneously, there are concerns about disruption of work continuity and operational gaps," expressing opposition.

Earlier, Daegu City became the first nationwide to enact a similar ordinance in July. The Seoul Metropolitan Council proposed a related ordinance last month, but its review was postponed. The City Council of Icheon will review it at the upcoming temporary session starting on the 20th.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Council will review the ordinance at the regular session next month after the legislative notice period.

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