'Decentralization + Balanced Development' Linked Promotion 'Integrated Bill' Approved at Cabinet Meeting

Establishing Institutional Foundations for Realizing the Local Era through Region-Led Balanced Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government announced that an integrated bill linking and promoting plans related to decentralization and balanced development was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 1st.

The approved integrated bill is established by integrating the "Special Act on Local Autonomy Decentralization and Local Administrative System Reform" and the "Special Act on National Balanced Development" as an institutional foundation for realizing the local era. This was prepared in response to criticisms that decentralization tasks and balanced development policies were being promoted individually, making it difficult to feel the effects of the policies.

The finalized integrated bill stipulates that a ‘Comprehensive Local Era Plan (every 5 years)’ reflecting sectoral plans established by central ministries based on the city/province local era plans will be formulated through Cabinet deliberation and presidential approval, and the implementation status of annual action plans will be evaluated. In addition, it newly establishes the grounds for designation and operation of ‘Opportunity Development Zones’ and ‘Education Freedom Zones,’ newly added to national tasks to secure regional self-sustainability, as well as existing decentralization and balanced development policies stipulated in the Local Decentralization Act and Balanced Development Act.

The Local Era Committee is established as an integrated promotion system for decentralization and balanced development to oversee national tasks and regional pledges of the local era. To ensure the implementation of the Local Era Committee’s deliberation and resolution matters, it can report the implementation status check results not only to the Cabinet but also to the Central-Local Cooperation Council. Especially, to efficiently promote the Comprehensive Local Era Plan and regional balanced development projects, the ‘National Balanced Development Special Account’ will be renamed the ‘Regional Balanced Development Special Account.’

The integrated bill also reflects opinions raised during inter-ministerial consultations and legislative notice processes, such as adding the Minister of Employment and Labor as an ex officio member of the Local Era Committee and mandating the establishment and operation of city/province Local Era Committees.

The government stated, "Once the integrated bill is submitted to the National Assembly in November, we will actively respond to ensure it is thoroughly discussed and promptly finalized." It added, "The government will do its best to ensure the integrated bill passes the National Assembly within the year through close cooperation with the National Assembly to realize a local era where everyone enjoys fair opportunities regardless of where they live."

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