Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu: "Special Administrative Agencies and Authority Should Be Transferred to Local Governments"

The 51st General Assembly of the Association of Governors of Si and Do in the Republic of Korea Held

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is speaking at the 51st General Assembly of the Korea Association of City and Provincial Governors. [Image source=Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] “To realize a true era of local autonomy, special administrative agencies must be transferred or delegated to cities and provinces.”

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, said this on the afternoon of the 23rd at the 51st General Assembly of the Korea Association of City and Provincial Governors held at the HW Convention Center in Seoul.

Governor Park emphasized that for local governments to proactively implement policies suited to regional circumstances and realize a true era of local autonomy, it is necessary to transfer or delegate the authority of agencies such as the Local Environment Agency and the Local Small and Medium Venture Business Agency to cities and provinces.

He added, “Measures should be prepared to strengthen the command and supervision rights of city and provincial governors over autonomous police and fire services so that residents’ safety and lives can be actively protected at the local level.”

Regarding support for necessary expenses for daycare centers, he said, “Through government-level support, we must realize nationwide unified free childcare,” and proposed, “City and provincial governors should unite their efforts so that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare cooperate and establish grounds for support to secure budgets for daycare centers for five-year-old children through local education finance grants.”

Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province (left) and Chairman Lee Cheolwoo of the City and Provincial Governors' Association are signing a business agreement for the successful hosting of the Sancheong World Traditional Medicine and Anti-Aging Expo and taking a commemorative photo. [Image source=Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

According to the province, at this general assembly, the progress of the president’s regional pledges and national agenda was shared, and agenda items to strengthen the functions of the Association of City and Provincial Governors, such as local issues to be submitted to the Central-Local Cooperation Council and amendments to the articles of association, were discussed.

The association decided to prioritize reviewing regional pledges and directly propose feasible measures, and agreed to cooperate in discovering policy agendas focused on national issues to realize a sustainable era of local autonomy and formalize them as local agendas.

They also agreed to establish an organic cooperation system for the successful hosting of events such as the Sancheong World Traditional Medicine and Anti-Aging Expo and the Hadong World Tea Expo held next year in each city and province, as well as the Gwangju Biennale, Gangwon World Forest Expo, and Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo, and signed a business agreement with the event organizing committees.

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