Five Special City Mayors Including Lee Donghwan of Goyang Call for Substantial Authority and Fiscal Support for Special Cities

Special City Mayors, Including Lee Donghwan of Goyang, Visit National Assembly Committee
Deliver Petition Urging Enactment of the "Special Act on Support for Special Cities"

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang, attended the "Special City Mayors Council of the Republic of Korea - National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee Meeting" held on the 10th at the office of the Chairman of the National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee, where he joined in delivering a petition urging the committee to enact the "Special Act on Support for Special Cities."

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang City, attended the "Special City Mayors Council of the Republic of Korea - National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee Meeting" held on the 10th at the National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee Chairman's Office, where he submitted a petition urging the National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee to enact the "Special City Support Special Act." Provided by Goyang Special City

The meeting was attended by Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City; Lee Jaejun, Mayor of Suwon Special City; Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin Special City; Jeong Myeonggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong Special City; Jeong Sookyi, Director General of Autonomous Administration of Changwon Special City; Shin Jeonghun, Chairman of the Administrative Safety Committee; and National Assembly members representing special city constituencies who are members of the committee.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the urgency of enacting the special act for special cities and the need to hold a legislative hearing on the matter.

Prior to the meeting, the five special cities held a preliminary gathering at the National Assembly's Riverside Library, where they agreed that securing legal status for special cities and expanding fiscal privileges are urgent issues that can no longer be postponed. They also decided to further strengthen their systematic joint response to the government and the National Assembly.

Currently, in the 22nd National Assembly, in addition to the special act submitted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in December last year, eight bills proposed by lawmakers are pending, but none have been even tabled for nearly a year.

In response, the Special City Mayors Council of the Republic of Korea made an official visit to the National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee (chaired by Shin Jeonghun) on this day, delivered a petition urging the prompt enactment of the "Special Act on Support for Special Cities," and requested the committee's active involvement to ensure swift deliberation of the bill. They also expressed their willingness to actively cooperate in holding a legislative hearing if necessary.

The petition included key demands such as: clarification of the legal status of special cities, granting fiscal privileges appropriate for special cities, and the practical transfer of administrative authority to special cities.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, emphasized, "With the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act coming into effect in January 2022, metropolitan cities with populations of over one million have been designated as special cities. Despite the considerable efforts made by the five special cities to secure their authority, there is still a lack of tangible changes felt by citizens."

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang, and four other mayors of special autonomous cities attended the "Korea Special Autonomous City Mayors' Council - National Assembly Administration and Security Committee Meeting" held on the 10th at the office of the Chairman of the National Assembly Administration and Security Committee, delivering a petition urging the enactment of the "Special Act on Support for Special Autonomous Cities" to the National Assembly Administration and Security Committee. Provided by Goyang Special Autonomous City

He further stated, "In order to efficiently respond to the rapidly increasing administrative demands, it is necessary to transfer substantial authority and provide fiscal support in line with the status and scale of special cities," calling for active support from the National Assembly to revitalize special cities.

In response, Shin Jeonghun, Chairman of the Administrative Safety Committee, said, "I agree that expanding the autonomy and responsibility of special cities is necessary to realize decentralization and balanced regional development that citizens can truly feel," adding, "I will pay close attention and work together to ensure that the Special Act on Support for Special Cities can be deliberated as soon as possible," concluding the meeting.

Meanwhile, since September, Goyang Special City has been conducting a "Campaign to Urge the Enactment of the Special Act for Special Cities" targeting citizens, centered around administrative welfare centers and workshops for community leaders and residents' councils, to raise awareness of the need for legislation.

The city plans to continue its efforts to enact the special act through close communication and cooperation with the government and the National Assembly.

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