17 City and Provincial Council Chairpersons Association Resolves Joint Response to Enactment of Local Council Act

On the 21st, the Council of Chairpersons of the Local Assemblies of Korea held the 5th Extraordinary Meeting of 2023 in Daegu

17 Local Assembly Chairpersons to Jointly Respond to Expedite the Enactment of the ‘Local Assembly Act’

13 Agenda Items Including the ‘Proposal to Urge a 5-Year Extension of Tax Reduction System in the Agricultural Sector’ Submitted and Discussed

The Council of Chairpersons of the Local Assemblies of Korea, a cooperative body of chairpersons from 17 local assemblies nationwide (Chairman Kim Hyun-ki, Chairperson of Seoul Metropolitan Council), has resolved to jointly respond to the enactment of the ‘Local Assembly Act.’

Chairman Kim Hyun-ki announced on the 21st in Daegu that the 5th extraordinary meeting of 2023 was held and this resolution was made.

Chairman Kim said, “Although the status and role of local assemblies have been strengthened through the revision of the Local Autonomy Act, there is still a reality where strong authority is concentrated in local government heads, making it necessary to improve the system for independent operation of local assemblies. Since the ‘Local Assembly Act’ currently being prepared at the council level is the foundation for the development of local legislation and the expansion of local decentralization, we have resolved that the 17 local assemblies will jointly respond to ensure its prompt passage.”

Currently, the National Assembly has the National Assembly Act, but local assemblies do not have a Local Assembly Act. Local assemblies operate based on the Local Autonomy Act.

Due to this situation, there is an incongruity where the executive bodies, which should be checked and monitored by local assemblies, decide on the organization and budget of the local assemblies. Under an organizational environment subordinated to the executive bodies, proper checks and monitoring are limited. This is why local assemblies continue to raise their voices for the enactment of the Local Assembly Act.

Chairman Kim said, “We are doing our best to share the necessity of enacting the Local Assembly Act and to build consensus as much as possible,” adding, “To receive professional assistance in promoting legislation related to the Local Assembly Act, we signed a business agreement with the Korea Legislation Research Institute last May.”

At this extraordinary meeting, a total of 13 agenda items were submitted and discussed. The proposals for ▲ securing national budget support for the construction of fishery guidance vessels for local governments, ▲ designation of population decline areas and improvement of financial support for establishing a systematic and efficient financial support system for the Local Extinction Response Fund, and ▲ urging a 5-year extension of the tax reduction system in the agricultural sector were discussed in depth and unanimously approved as originally proposed.

Additionally, various agenda items aimed at resolving current issues, such as the proposal for additional personnel and budget increase following the mandatory implementation of accompanying personnel on school transport vehicles for regional children’s centers to prevent monthly occurring child safety and traffic accidents, were discussed and agreed upon for government recommendation.

Other agenda items discussed included ▲ a proposal urging government support for the successful hosting of the 2027 Chungcheong Summer World University Games and ▲ a proposal urging the passage of the partial amendment to the Special Act on the Preservation, Management, and Utilization of World Heritage for the legalization of the World Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA).

The extraordinary meeting was hosted by the Daegu Metropolitan Council (Chairman Lee Man-gyu), with attendance from Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, and Jeon Jin-seok, Vice Superintendent of Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education, among others.

Chairman Kim Hyun-ki said, “We wish for the continuous challenge and development of Daegu Metropolitan City, which is transforming from a textile city into a future mobility city,” and added, “The Council of Chairpersons of Local Assemblies will also realize the enactment of the Local Assembly Act to strengthen the status and properly establish the role of local assemblies.”

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