Seoul Metropolitan Council in Deadlock over Student Rights Ordinance While Ignoring 50 Trillion Budget Proposal

Administrative audit schedule set
but next year's city budget settlement process is at a standstill

The Seoul Metropolitan Council, which reviews the Seoul city budget exceeding 50 trillion won, is repeatedly facing deadlock over the election of the chairman of the Budget and Accounts Special Committee and the abolition of the Student Human Rights Ordinance. Furthermore, with lawsuits exchanged between council members, the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties appears to be escalating into an emotional dispute. Since both parties hold firm positions on resolving the issue, the council's deadlock is expected to continue for a considerable time after the Chuseok holiday.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 26th, Democratic Party council members have not participated in the agenda since the 18th, citing the refusal of People Power Party members to cooperate in electing the Budget and Accounts Committee chairman.

Lee Seung-mi, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Education Committee, filed a complaint on the 21st at Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul against three members of the Education Committee from the People Power Party for obstruction of official duties and other charges. Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party of Korea

The incident dates back to the 12th. On that day, during the Education Committee meeting, Chairperson Lee Seung-mi attempted to declare a recess ahead of deliberations on the abolition of the Student Human Rights Ordinance. In response, People Power Party members tried to prevent this by grabbing the gavel Lee was holding on the podium, leading to a scuffle. Subsequently, on the 15th, when People Power Party members declared they would not process the Budget and Accounts Committee chairman election proposal, which was allocated to the Democratic Party, the Democrats declared a boycott of the agenda. On the 21st, Chairperson Lee filed a complaint with the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station against three People Power Party members of the Education Committee on charges including obstruction of official duties.

Despite pressing issues such as administrative audits and budget reviews, the two parties are proposing completely different solutions. The Democratic Party has stated it will participate in the already scheduled administrative audit. The administrative audit will be conducted from November 2 to 15, targeting Seoul City Hall, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and affiliated institutions. Chairperson Lee said, "Since the administrative audit schedule has already been confirmed, it will proceed as planned," adding, "The administrative audit is an opportunity to check and monitor the city and the education office, so I will diligently carry out this duty on behalf of the voters."

The problem lies with the budget. The Seoul Metropolitan Council passed a budget of 47.1905 trillion won last year. For next year's budget review, the Budget and Accounts Special Committee must be formed simultaneously with the appointment of its chairman. Without the committee's formation, council members cannot even request materials for review.

According to Article 127 of the Local Autonomy Act, the legal deadline for budget approval is "15 days before the start of the fiscal year (January 1)." Accordingly, next year's budget must be approved by December 16 of this year. If the budget is not approved by this deadline, a "preliminary budget crisis" may occur, where the budget is prepared based on the previous year's budget. The Seoul Metropolitan Council has missed the legal deadline for budget approval several times. The most recent instance was in 2021, when the deadline was missed due to the spread of COVID-19 and controversies over "erasing Park Won-soon." However, Seoul has never experienced a preliminary budget crisis so far. In the case of Seongnam City, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over the "Youth Basic Income" during this year's budget review, resulting in a preliminary budget system and a delayed budget approval on January 15 this year.

However, while the Democratic Party insists that appointing the Budget and Accounts Committee chairman should come first, the People Power Party argues that abolishing the Student Human Rights Ordinance is a livelihood bill that must be addressed first. Lim Gyu-ho, spokesperson for the Democratic Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, said, "I understand that the ruling and opposition parties are still discussing the Student Human Rights Ordinance," adding, "The Student Human Rights Ordinance and the formation of the Budget and Accounts Committee are separate issues. We will consider both simultaneously, but since the budget review is imminent, we must hurry to form the committee."

Currently, the Seoul Metropolitan Council consists of 76 seats held by the People Power Party and 35 by the Democratic Party. Additionally, the Budget and Accounts Committee members have already been appointed with 21 seats for the People Power Party and 12 for the Democratic Party. Therefore, the People Power Party can unilaterally appoint the committee chairman and form the committee to proceed with the budget review. According to the "Basic Ordinance of the Seoul Metropolitan Council," standing committee chairpersons are elected by secret ballot, requiring a majority of the total members present and a majority of the votes cast. However, in this case, the extreme confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to become irreversible.

The People Power Party also holds a firm stance. Kim Jong-gil, spokesperson for the People Power Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, said, "Given that lawsuits have been exchanged, we are no longer in a position to demand dialogue," adding, "It is only logical for anyone to first resolve the livelihood issue of the Student Human Rights Ordinance and then form the Budget and Accounts Committee."

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