[6.3 Election] Min Hyung-bae: "Administrative Transformation of Integrated Special City through Citizen Sovereignty Government"

"Participation Is Authority, Not Mere Formality...
Building Citizen Engagement Throughout the Entire Administrative Process"

Min Hyung-bae, a prospective candidate from the Democratic Party for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City mayoral race, has proposed the concept of a "citizen sovereignty government" as the administrative direction for the integrated special city. Assemblyman Min stated that he aims to achieve an administrative transformation for the integrated special city through an administrative system in which citizens are not merely the objects of policy but active participants.

On April 27, at the seminar titled "Popular Sovereignty and the Launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City" held at Gwangju City Council, Assemblyman Min said, "My top campaign pledge during the primary has been the establishment of a citizen sovereignty government," and emphasized, "Through a 'citizen sovereignty government' where citizens are the subjects, not the objects, of policy, I will achieve a fundamental transformation in administration."

On the 27th, at the Gwangju City Council, Min Hyungbae, the Democratic Party's prospective candidate for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Mayor, spoke at the seminar titled "Popular Sovereignty and the Launch of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City," hosted by the Korean Association for Public Administration. Courtesy of Min Hyungbae's campaign team

He continued, "Jeonnam and Gwangju, with their long history and experience in upholding democracy, have a responsibility to most clearly embody the principles of citizen sovereignty. We must shift away from a model where the administration unilaterally explains decisions, and instead transition to a city where decisions are made and implemented together with citizens."

He added, "Citizen sovereignty must be a structural reality, not just a slogan; participation must be about authority, not mere formality; and administration must be about responsibility, not power. I will establish a system in which citizens meaningfully participate in the entire process of policy design and implementation."

The seminar was hosted by the Korean Association for Public Administration and organized by the Bitgoeul Namdo Forum. It was arranged to explore ways to build a citizen-centered administrative system ahead of the launch of the integrated special city.

Kim Soon-eun, former chair of the Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization, and Seo Jung-hoon, co-executive director of the Citizen Sovereignty Committee, gave presentations on administrative models for the integrated special city based on the principle of popular sovereignty.

During the comprehensive discussion, Professor Kim Byung-wan of Gwangju National University served as moderator, with participation from Professor Kim Byung-rok of Chosun University, Professor Kim Tae-young of Kyung Hee University, Professor Kim Jun-hyung of Suncheon National University, Professor Park No-su of University of Seoul, Professor Park Chan-young of Mokpo National University, and Research Fellow Lee Byung-hyun of the Jeonnam Research Institute. The discussion focused on institutionalizing citizen participation, designing a structure for delegated authority and responsible administration, and developing governance tailored to the integrated special city.

The main takeaway from the discussion was that, in order to realize citizen sovereignty, it is essential to both strengthen the substantive authority of resident participation systems and to establish institutional mechanisms that ensure administrative accountability.

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