"Central and Local Governments Must Evolve into a Relationship of Healthy Competition"

Lee Cheol-woo, Chair of the Governors' Council, at the New Year Press Conference

Lee Cheol-woo, chairman of the Council of Governors, is speaking at a press briefing held on the 12th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] On the 12th, Lee Cheol-woo, Chairman of the Council of Governors of the Republic of Korea, held a New Year's press conference at his office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, presenting directions to open a definite era of local autonomy.

At the press conference, Chairman Lee emphasized, "The era of local autonomy must be led by local governments based on cooperation with the central government, and bold policy innovation competition between local and central governments should be carried out to realize a new Republic of Korea through a local-led 'national grand reform.'"

To this end, he announced the four core tasks and five practical tasks for 2023 and stressed that he would fully play the role of a central axis to realize the era of local autonomy as a local partner in the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's national governance.

The four core tasks selected by the Council of Governors in 2023 are enhancing the effectiveness of the Central-Local Cooperation Council, five practical tasks for sustainable local governments, enactment of the Local Diplomacy Act, and local-led national grand reform.

To realize the era of local autonomy, the Central-Local Cooperation Council will be made effective, and to this end, a Local Support Group will be established and operated to realize national innovation through regional innovation led by local governments.

The five practical tasks for sustainable local governments are constitutional amendment for decentralization and legalization of local governments, sustainable local governments (major reforms in local legislation, local judiciary, local administrative systems and policies), strengthening fiscal decentralization and fiscal cooperation, reorganization of functions between central and local governments, and establishment of a sustainable balanced development policy system.

The Local Diplomacy Act will be enacted and local diplomacy will be strengthened. A local diplomat position will be newly created, and overseas offices of local governments will be expanded to carry out local diplomatic activities at the national strategic level. Rationalization of foreign worker policies, such as issuing metropolitan area visas, will also be promoted.

For local-led national grand reform, local governments will lead reforms in five major areas: education, labor, welfare, national land infrastructure, and regional new industries, competing with the central government in innovation to take the lead in realizing a new Republic of Korea.

Looking at the five practical tasks for sustainable local governments, first, through constitutional amendment for decentralization and legalization of local governments, they are determined to declare a decentralized state and legalize local governments at a quasi-federal level to guarantee the authority and autonomy of local governments to the maximum extent.

Second, to realize sustainable local governments, administrative adjudication committees of cities and provinces will be utilized as quasi-judicial powers of local governments, authority will be granted to governors of cities and provinces not only for autonomous police but also for fire and safety sectors, and the term "local government" will be officially promoted.

Third, to strengthen fiscal decentralization and fiscal cooperation, expansion of local taxes and strengthening of taxpayers' sovereignty, increase of local grant tax rates, and expansion of fire safety resources will be pursued. In particular, resources transferred to city and provincial offices of education will be reduced, and the education autonomy tax allowing cities and provinces to use surplus resources for early childhood, high school, and lifelong education will be improved.

Fourth, regarding the reorganization of functions between central and local governments, the state is requested to strictly apply the principle of subsidiarity, and to secure national administrative efficiency, the bulk transfer of special local administrative agencies to local governments will also be promoted.

Fifth, to establish a sustainable balanced development policy system, the scale of public institutions relocated to local areas, such as the headquarters of KBS and MBC, will be greatly expanded, the Local Era Committee will be launched promptly, the authority of governors of cities and provinces to lift development restriction zones will be greatly delegated, and comprehensive and autonomous planning and management of various special zones by local governments will be urged.

On this day, the four major local government councils, including the Council of Governors of the Republic of Korea, also issued a joint statement at the press conference venue urging the enactment of the "Special Act on Decentralization and Regional Balanced Development" amendment and the second relocation of public institutions to local areas.

Chairman Lee Cheol-woo urged the National Assembly to promptly review and process the amendment (draft) of the "Special Act on Decentralization and Regional Balanced Development." He also demanded the government to swiftly promote the relocation of public institutions and announced plans to proactively relocate the headquarters of the four major local government councils to Sejong City for this purpose.

Chairman Lee has emphasized the importance and necessity of the era of local autonomy even before the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and has laid the foundation for realizing the era of local autonomy.

As a result, for the first time in the history of presidential transition committees, a special committee on regional balanced development was established, and he led the enactment of a law (draft) expanding the Local Era Committee's ex officio members to 16, including the Minister of Strategy and Finance.

The Central-Local Cooperation Council, which he directly proposed during his time as a member of the National Assembly, is paving the way for a horizontal cooperation channel between the central and local governments.

While serving as Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, Chairman Lee currently serves as Chairman of the Council of Governors of the Republic of Korea and, together with the Prime Minister, as co-chairman of the Central-Local Cooperation Council, striving to realize various agendas and tasks for the era of local autonomy.

He secured a promise from the Minister of the Interior and Safety to gradually expand the rank of deputy heads of city, county, and district offices through revision of enforcement ordinances.

He also demanded the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to lift development restriction zones, which had been an obstacle to local development, and led the plan to revise enforcement ordinances to expand the delegated authority for lifting restrictions from 300,000㎡ to less than 1,000,000㎡.

Going forward, he plans to continuously communicate and cooperate with the Presidential Office, related ministries, and the National Assembly to produce tangible results.

Chairman Lee Cheol-woo said, "For the development of the nation and the well-being of the people, the central and local governments must develop into a cooperative relationship and sometimes into a competitive relationship for innovation through healthy competition," adding, "We will successfully open a sustainable era of local autonomy and create a new and great Republic of Korea together with the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."

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