Jinju City Council Halts Facility Management Corporation... Related Ordinance Review Deferred

Jinju City "Deep Regret"

Jinju City in Gyeongnam Province has faced a halt from the city council regarding its ambitious plan to establish a ‘Facility Management Corporation.’ In response, the Jinju City government expressed ‘deep regret’ over the sudden suspension of the ordinance proposal.

According to the Jinju City Council on the 20th, the ‘Ordinance on the Establishment and Operation of the Facility Management Corporation,’ which was submitted to the 2nd plenary session of the 249th extraordinary meeting on the 19th, was decided to be put on hold.

This ordinance had passed unanimously in the Planning and Culture Committee, the relevant standing committee, and was submitted to the plenary session. However, Councilor Shin Hyun-guk (Chairman of the Ethics Special Committee) raised objections, citing insufficient completeness.

Jinju City Hall exterior view.

Councilor Shin explained the reason for the suspension, stating, “For the sound operation of the Facility Management Corporation, the council must also go through appropriate procedures such as enacting an ordinance related to personnel hearings and forming a special personnel hearing committee as a practical step.”

In response, Councilor Jeong Yong-hak argued against Shin’s suspension proposal, saying, “Requiring the council’s consent for amendments to the articles of incorporation of (local public enterprises) violates higher laws,” while Councilor Kang Jin-cheol expressed support for the suspension, stating, “The Ministry of Government Legislation’s interpretation is based on council consent, and since it requests consultation rather than consent, there is no problem.”

Following this, a vote was held on whether to approve the suspension proposal. Among the 22 councilors present, 12 voted in favor, 7 opposed, and 3 abstained, resulting in the ordinance for establishing the Jinju Facility Management Corporation being put on hold. Consequently, the ordinance will return to the standing committee of the Jinju City Council for reconsideration.

This has caused disagreements among the council members themselves. In particular, rumors have spread that Chairman Yang Hae-young colluded with Councilors Shin Hyun-guk and Kang Jin-cheol to obstruct city administration, drawing attention to Chairman Yang’s future response.

The city government expressed ‘deep regret,’ stating that despite continuous communication efforts such as the verification review committee for the service results, public hearings, the establishment review committee, one meeting with all city council members, and two briefing sessions with the chairpersons, it is difficult to accept the sudden suspension of the ordinance in the plenary session without other underlying reasons.

A city official said, “We will actively cooperate with the city council to avoid confusion at the facilities preparing for the corporation’s delegation according to the future city council extraordinary meeting schedule, and will make multifaceted efforts to ensure the ordinance is passed promptly.”

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