Declare a "Local Autonomy State" in the Preamble of the Constitution... Mayors, County Chiefs, and District Heads Council Adopts "Local Autonomy Constitutional Amendment Resolution"

Joint Chairpersons' Meeting Held in Daegu
Change from Local Government Organizations to Local Governments

The Korea Association of Mayors, County Governors, and District Heads (Representative Chairman Jo Jae-gu, Mayor of Nam-gu, Daegu) held the '3rd Year of the 8th Civilian Government, 2nd Joint Chairpersons' Meeting' on the 18th at Hotel Suseong in Daegu.

Representative Chairman Jo Jae-gu stated, "Decentralization should not remain merely a declaration," and explained the background of adopting the resolution by saying, "To overcome the existential crisis of local extinction, local governments must be given the authority to develop their regions independently. True completion of the local era is possible only when local autonomy is constitutionally guaranteed."

Joa Jae-gu, Mayor of Nam-gu, Daegu, serving as the President of the Korea Association of Mayors, County Governors, and District Heads.

The resolution reflected on past trial and error where local autonomy and balanced development remained mere 'political slogans,' and urged the following three points to constitutionally establish decentralization and national balanced development as fundamental principles and guarantee them institutionally.

First, as a value that the Republic of Korea should pursue, the preamble and Article 1 of the Constitution should clearly declare a 'decentralized state.' Second, to transform the vertical hierarchical relationship between central and local governments into a horizontal cooperative relationship, the name of local governments should be changed to 'local government.' Third, it urged that local autonomy rights, including autonomous administration, autonomous finance, and autonomous organization rights, be guaranteed as constitutional principles.

The joint chairpersons reaffirmed their recognition that while they agree with the basic intent of the current 'reserved integration,' they oppose the plan that merely shifts financial burdens to cities, counties, and districts, emphasizing that "a fundamental review is necessary for proper reserved integration and it should be re-discussed by an institution with integration coordination functions."

The joint chairpersons lamented the increasingly difficult financial situation of local governments due to the recent decline in national tax revenues and urged the government to take a progressive stance on expanding resources for regional balanced development, such as the general grant tax.

Participants of the Joint Chairpersons Meeting of the Korea Association of Mayors, County Governors, and District Heads are gathered together for a commemorative photo.

Meanwhile, Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, who attended to congratulate the holding of the joint chairpersons' meeting, delivered a congratulatory speech urging unwavering leadership of basic local governments even in difficult times and wished for the development of local autonomy and the association.

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