Changwon Mayor Hong Nam-pyo Stresses Urgent Need for Special Law Granting Substantial Special Authority

Auditor Elected at Regular Meeting of the Korea Special City Mayors Association

"It is crucial that the transfer of planning authority and financial support reflecting the urban scale of special cities are clearly stipulated in the special law, so that we can obtain substantial authority. For this reason, the five cities will join forces to push for the enactment of the special law."

Changwon Special City Mayor Hong Nampyo is speaking about the enactment of a special law.

Hong Nam-pyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, made these remarks on the 13th while attending the 2024 First Half Regular Meeting of the Korea Special City Mayors' Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council) held at the Yongin Forest Education Center.

The meeting was attended by three special cities (Suwon, Goyang, Yongin), as well as Hwaseong, which participated as an associate member due to its population exceeding one million, to discuss ways to secure authority for special cities.

In particular, there was a strong consensus that the opinions of special cities must be reflected in the government's legislative process for the "Special Act on Support for Special Cities" (hereinafter referred to as the Special Act) in order to include substantial special provisions that will allow special cities to leap forward. As the government is also expediting the preparation of the bill, it was decided to actively pursue consultations with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Presidential Committee for Local Era, and the National Assembly.

(From left: Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang; Jung Myunggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong; Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon; Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin; Lee Jaejun, Mayor of Suwon).

During the meeting, Suwon was elected as the chair city to lead the fourth term of the Council, and Changwon was selected as the audit city. Hwaseong, which is set to become a special city in 2025, officially joined as an associate member and is expected to present new directions and strategies for securing the authority of special cities in the future.

Mayor Hong stated, "With the enactment of the Special Act for Special Cities, we expect to accelerate the process of securing substantial authority for special cities."

Meanwhile, Changwon Special City is continuously proposing institutional improvements to central government agencies to ensure that relevant laws are revised within the year, in order to maintain its status as a special city.

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