Jinju City Council Member Yang Haeyoung Proposes Forum System for "Open Legislature"

Establishing an Official Discussion System to Gather Public Opinion
Council-Led Forums Expected to Expand Channels for Citizen Engagement

Yang Haeyoung, a member of the Jinju City Council, has sponsored the “Ordinance on the Operation of Forums and Related Events by Jinju City Council,” which will be submitted at the 272nd temporary session of the Jinju City Council scheduled to open on March 11, 2026.

In some local governments in South Gyeongsang Province, such as Changwon City, Gimhae City, and Goseong County, regular forums are held with allocated budgets, thereby expanding citizen participation through official, council-led discussion systems.

Photo by Yang Haeyoung, Jinju City Council Member

In contrast, Jinju City has consistently faced criticism that major agenda discussions are limited to public hearings, resulting in restricted communication with citizens during the policy process. In response, Council Member Yang has taken steps to establish an institutional foundation to improve this communication structure.

This ordinance enables the city council to officially gather citizen opinions by hosting forums, seminars, and symposiums led by the council during the enactment and revision of ordinances closely related to citizens’ lives and the implementation of major policies.

Additionally, if comments raised during these forums are deemed valid, they will be actively reflected in agenda reviews and legislative activities. The ordinance also provides grounds for requesting input or data from relevant government officials, experts, and stakeholders.

Yang Haeyoung stated, “I expect that, moving forward, communication channels between council members and citizens will become more systematic, allowing a wide range of opinions to be reflected from the policy formulation stage.”

The ordinance is scheduled to be brought before the plenary session on March 16, 2026, after review by the Council Operations Committee, and is expected to apply from the 10th council, which will launch in the second half of this year.

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