Kim In-ho, Chairman of Seoul Metropolitan Council, "We Will Definitely Achieve the Revision of the Local Autonomy Act This Year"

Chairman Kim Running for National Council of Metropolitan Council Chairpersons Election Says "Seoul Metropolitan Council Budget and Manpower Deployment, Local Autonomy Act Revision Work Prepared Steadily" and Declares "Will Do Best Efforts for Local Autonomy Act Revision in Regular National Assembly"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] It has been 30 years since the Local Autonomy Act, which regulates the types, organization, and operation of local governments, was enacted.

The local autonomy system has reached its 30th year, marking its coming of age.

However, the Local Autonomy Act has not been amended and still wears the clothes of the 1990s.

Despite the improvement in public awareness and changes in local councils over the years, a proper framework has not been established, leading both local governments (autonomous entities) and local councils to raise their voices for creating a new framework suitable for the new era.

Especially this year, amid the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), South Korea’s central government, local governments, and local councils have formed a one-team approach, wisely responding together with the public, receiving positive evaluations worldwide. This has highlighted the urgent need to amend the Local Autonomy Act.

During the 20th National Assembly, the government submitted a bill to amend the law, but it was not realized due to opposition from the opposition party.

However, the 21st National Assembly, with the ruling Democratic Party holding 176 seats, is facing a golden opportunity to pass the Local Autonomy Act amendment during this regular session.

For this reason, 17 city and provincial councils nationwide, including the Seoul Metropolitan Council, are feeling a sense of crisis, fearing that if the Local Autonomy Act is not passed this time, it may take an indefinite amount of time to establish an institutional framework suitable for the local era.

Meanwhile, the chairperson election of the National Council of City and Provincial Councils, originally scheduled to be held on the 11th in Jeju, was temporarily postponed due to nationwide heavy rain and flooding.

The role of Kim In-ho, chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council in the second half of the 7th local election term, who is regarded as the "eldest brother" of local councils nationwide, is becoming more important than ever. Since the first half of the 7th local election term (Chairperson Shin Won-chul), the Seoul Metropolitan Council has formed a ‘Local Decentralization Team’ within its legislative department and has been steadily preparing for the law amendment.

This is preparation that no other metropolitan local council has done for a long time.

In this context, Chairperson Kim In-ho of the Seoul Metropolitan Council is attracting attention as he travels nationwide ahead of the election for the chairperson of the National Council of Metropolitan Councils.

On the 7th, Kim wrote on his Facebook, “I visited 17 city and provincial councils nationwide and exchanged opinions on the difficulties of local councils and future directions. The National Council of City and Provincial Councils is a consultative body composed of chairpersons of 17 city and provincial councils nationwide, leading the development of local autonomy and local council operations through mutual exchange and cooperation among councils, joint activities to improve unreasonable laws and systems, and more.”

He also presented his election pledges for the council chairperson election, including ▲ Strengthening roles for realizing autonomy (passing the full amendment of the Local Autonomy Act, revising laws for local decentralization) ▲ Establishing the status and strengthening the capabilities of local councils (introducing policy support professionals, independence of personnel authority for local councils, realistic adjustment of local council members’ remuneration, introduction of support association systems for city and provincial council members) ▲ Urging the enactment of the Local Council Act ▲ Solidarity among city and provincial councils for COVID-19 response ▲ Promoting international exchanges to activate local council diplomacy ▲ Enhancing the status of the National Council of City and Provincial Councils.

Along with this, he pledged, “The role of the National Council of City and Provincial Councils is more important than ever, and the Seoul Metropolitan Council, as the eldest brother of local councils, will definitely unite the power of city and provincial councils nationwide to pass the long-standing tasks.”

In a phone interview with a reporter on the 8th, Chairperson Kim said, “This year’s regular National Assembly session seems to be a golden opportunity to amend the Local Autonomy Act,” and added, “Based on the steady preparations made by the Seoul Metropolitan Council by investing budget and manpower for the amendment of the Local Autonomy Act, I will persuade lawmakers and definitely achieve the amendment of the Local Autonomy Act.”