Council of Mayors of Designated Cities Urges National Assembly to Swiftly Enact "Special Act on Support for Designated Cities"

The Council of Mayors of Designated Cities in Korea, an association of large cities with populations exceeding one million, has requested the National Assembly to promptly enact the "Special Act on Support for Designated Cities" to strengthen the legal status and administrative and fiscal authority of designated cities.

On December 10, the council held a meeting with members of the Public Administration and Security Committee at the National Assembly Chairman's office, where they made this request.

Jung Myunggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong (left), is delivering a petition to Shin Jeonghoon, Chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, urging the prompt enactment of the "Special Act on Support for Designated Cities." Provided by Hwaseong City

Attendees at the meeting included Shin Jeonghoon, Chairman of the Public Administration and Security Committee; Assemblymen Kwon Chilsung and Lee Sangsik; Jung Myunggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong and President of the Council of Mayors of Designated Cities; Lee Jaejun, Mayor of Suwon; Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin; Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang; and Jeong Sookyi, Director of the Autonomous Administration Bureau of Changwon City.

During the meeting, the council emphasized the urgency of enacting the special act and delivered a petition containing specific proposals to Chairman Shin. The petition included: ▲ clarification of the legal status of designated cities; ▲ provision of fiscal support appropriate for their status; and ▲ the transfer of substantive and effective administrative responsibilities.

The five designated cities nationwide have long struggled to meet the administrative demands of metropolitan-level populations, despite being classified as basic local governments.

Although a total of nine related bills-including the special act proposed by the government in December of last year-have been introduced by both the government and the National Assembly, none have even been submitted to the committee and have remained pending for nearly a year.

Mayor Jung Myunggeun stated, "Securing the legal status and administrative and fiscal authority of designated cities is not a privilege for specific cities, but an essential foundation for leading balanced national development by growing together with surrounding regions as regional hubs. We will continue to persuade the government and the National Assembly to ensure that appropriate authority is secured."

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