Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party Holds Meeting with Yeom Tae-young, Supreme Council Member Candidate

Candidate Yeom Tae-young appeals for support, stating, "As a representative of local government, I will do my best to join the central party leadership and ensure the enactment of the Local Autonomy Act as well as the Local Council Act."

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the evening of the 5th at 7 PM, the Democratic Party of Korea in the Seoul Metropolitan Council held a meeting with Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon, who declared his candidacy for the Supreme Council member ahead of the Democratic Party’s national convention on August 29, at the Democratic Party meeting room in the Seoul Metropolitan Council main building.

The meeting was chaired by Policy Deputy Leader Lee Dong-hyun and proceeded with a lecture by Supreme Council candidate Yeom Tae-young on ‘Local Autonomy and Decentralization,’ followed by a Q&A session regarding the seven major tasks of local decentralization.

In his keynote lecture, candidate Yeom Tae-young spoke about the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the many efforts he has made for local decentralization.

Candidate Yeom explained the series of efforts he led to draft a complete revision of the Local Autonomy Act and his attempts to push it through the National Assembly, expressing regret that these efforts ended in frustration without bearing fruit.

During the subsequent Q&A session, candidate Yeom responded to questions about the seven major tasks of local decentralization. These tasks include ‘Securing policy support professional personnel,’ ‘Independence of personnel authority for local councils,’ ‘Strengthening autonomous organizational rights,’ ‘Enhancing autonomous legislative rights,’ ‘Autonomy in local council budget formulation,’ ‘Introduction of personnel hearings,’ and ‘Establishment of negotiation group operation and support systems.’ Candidate Yeom emphasized that all seven tasks are essential for the development of local governments.

Candidate Yeom stated, “For the development of local governments, it is necessary to cultivate the independent capabilities of councils and increase autonomy through the transfer of authority,” and raised his voice saying, “I will actively take the lead in realizing the seven major tasks of local decentralization.”

He also said, “Local governments are like a miniature version of the central government and the frontline where actual administrative execution takes place,” adding, “Although the complete revision of the Local Autonomy Act must be realized for the development of democracy, it has not been accepted as an important task by the central party leadership so far.”

Furthermore, he appealed for support by stating, “As a representative of local governments, I will do my best to enter the central party leadership and ensure the enactment of not only the Local Autonomy Act but also the Local Council Act.”

The meeting was attended by about 50 Seoul Metropolitan Council members including Kim In-ho, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Kim Kwang-soo, Vice Chairperson, Representative Council Member Jo Sang-ho, Chairperson of the Steering Committee Kim Jeong-tae, along with Dobong District Mayor Lee Dong-jin, Seongdong District Mayor Jeong Won-oh, and Yangcheon District Mayor Kim Soo-young.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council members present unanimously urged active efforts to realize local decentralization and establish the status of metropolitan councils.