Jang Young-woo, Chairman of Jindo County Council, "We Have Run Breathlessly While Enhancing the Council's Expertise and Independence"

The 1st Anniversary of the 9th Jindo County Council Opening... 101 Cases Including Ordinances, Budgets, and Proposals Resolved

The 9th Jindo County Council has marked its 1st anniversary since its opening. Since its establishment in 1991, pledging a new leap forward for the realization of local autonomy, Jang Young-woo, Chairman of the Jindo County Council, explained the achievements so far and future goals in an interview with this publication.

Below is a Q&A with Chairman Jang Young-woo.

..How do you feel about the 1st anniversary?

▲ With the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act for the first time in 32 years, a new era of local autonomy has opened. As the authority and responsibility of the council, the representative body of the residents, have been strengthened, our Jindo County Council has also diversified its council activities and enhanced the professionalism and independence of the council, running breathlessly over the past year.

All members of the Jindo County Council have actively worked with a sense of mission to fulfill the duties entrusted by the residents, making it a meaningful time. We deeply thank the residents who have supported and encouraged the Jindo County Council.

..What are the major achievements?

▲ Over the past year, we held three regular sessions and seven extraordinary sessions, handling about 100 agenda items including 67 ordinances, 8 budget and settlement bills, and 7 resolutions. We also fulfilled the council’s fundamental role by checking and monitoring the executive branch through administrative audits, activities of the special budget and settlement committee, questions on county administration, and field visits.

Furthermore, to create a council closer to the residents, we took responsibility as representatives of the residents and carried out field-centered council activities. We also launched the Jindo County Council YouTube channel to broadcast council operations live.

In addition, to solve major issues in Jindo County, we formed a council member research group and are striving to strengthen the capabilities of council members.

..What are your future goals?

▲ The top priority for Jindo County is to stabilize the lives of residents through regional economic recovery and actively respond to the deepening crisis of population extinction.

To this end, we will actively engage in legislative activities by collecting opinions from the field and maintain close communication for mutual cooperation between the council and the executive branch. We will also operate the newly launched council member research group activities solidly from this year, study and apply excellent cases from other local governments, and strive to become a learning council, focusing our capabilities on solving local issues.

..How do you evaluate the 1st anniversary?

▲ With the COVID-19 situation somewhat eased, we were able to hear the voices of residents more vividly at various sites and worked to reflect the will of the residents. We proposed policy directions and reasonable alternatives to the executive branch to improve the quality of life of residents.

We also made efforts to find proper solutions to current issues through cooperation and consultation with the executive branch.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to my fellow council members, including myself, for not losing our initial resolve and creating a ‘field-centered council’ that actively visits complaint sites.

..Any final words?

▲ The residents are the driving force behind the development of our county. The council and the executive branch will faithfully fulfill the role of presenting a vision and supporting the residents, and will continue to strive and communicate for the welfare and quality of life improvement of the residents.

Lastly, heavy rains have caused great damage nationwide. Above all, precious lives have been lost, and as a member of the nation, I feel deeply saddened.

Our Jindo County must minimize damage through thorough and meticulous disaster preparedness, and I also ask residents to take special care to prepare in advance to avoid damage.

In this hot and humid summer, please take care of your health, and I wish happiness to all the households of the residents.

Jindo = Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Oh Seung-geun just8440@asiae.co.kr

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