Operation of Public Funeral Hall Consignment and Open Restrooms... Strengthening Local Government Legislative Authority

Batch Revision of 11 Presidential Decrees Enables Enactment of Ordinances Tailored to Regional Characteristics

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Government Legislation announced that they approved a comprehensive amendment to presidential decrees at the Cabinet meeting on the 25th to support the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's national agenda of ‘strengthening the autonomy of local governments.’

The 11 presidential decrees, including the 'Enforcement Decree of the Act on Funeral Services, etc.,' which are being comprehensively amended this time, will be enforced six months after the date of promulgation on the 1st of next month to allow local governments time to revise their ordinances accordingly. This amendment is a comprehensive revision of subordinate statutes that restrict the legislative authority of local governments to align them with the Local Autonomy Act, jointly promoted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Government Legislation.

The amendment deleted provisions in the presidential decrees that set criteria for designating institutions entrusted with operating public funeral halls, etc., even though the law stipulates that the operation can be entrusted to public corporations designated by local government heads through ordinances, thereby allowing local governments to freely designate entrusted institutions according to the law.

Additionally, although the law stipulates that necessary matters regarding the operation methods of open restrooms should be determined by ordinance, the presidential decrees had provisions regulating these operation methods. These provisions were deleted to allow local governments to operate autonomously.

Furthermore, the party to consult with the Minister of Health and Welfare for the additional establishment of public health centers, which are direct agencies of local governments, was changed from the Minister of the Interior and Safety to the head of the local government intending to establish the public health center.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, "We will continue to pay close attention to identifying regulations that restrict autonomous legislative authority to realize substantive local autonomy," and added, "We will devote ourselves to improving laws and regulations to strengthen local autonomy so that policy implementation tailored to regional characteristics can be actively promoted and ensure that there is no inconvenience to the public’s daily life."

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