Commemorative Event Held to Mark the Opening of the 300th Session Since Seoul Metropolitan Council's Inauguration... Scheduled to Address Current Issues Over 16 Days from April 19 to May 4
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Seoul Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim In-ho) will hold the 300th extraordinary session from April 19 to May 4, a 16-day schedule, to address various current issues related to Seoul city administration and educational administration.
Chairman Kim In-ho (Democratic Party) stated in his opening remarks that today is a historic day marking both the 30th anniversary of the revival of local autonomy and the 300th session, and he believes that grassroots democracy in the Republic of Korea has grown further through these 300 meetings.
He also emphasized that starting this year, local councils must envision another 30 years, promising to establish the revised Local Autonomy Act firmly and to transform the Seoul Metropolitan Council into a new council that meets the expectations of citizens.
Before the opening ceremony, the Seoul Metropolitan Council held an event attended by all council members to commemorate the 300th session and reaffirm its significance. The event included a commemorative video screening, introduction of congratulatory messages from the National Assembly Speaker and others, a commemorative speech by the council chairman, congratulatory speeches from the mayor and superintendent of education, and a resolution meeting. It was held to reflect on the journey of local autonomy and the council and to renew commitment in the era of local decentralization.
Among the approximately 805 ordinances enacted by the Seoul Metropolitan Council (from 1949 to May 2020), the “Top 30 Ordinances That Changed Citizens’ Lives” have been selected and will be exhibited sequentially at the council’s main building and the members’ office building.
※ Main building exhibition (April 19), Members’ office building exhibition (April 20?23) ※ Seoul’s history: Seoul Metropolitan Council inauguration (September 5, 1956) / Revival of local councils inauguration (July 8, 1991)
Following this, Chairman Kim reiterated his congratulations to Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was elected in the recent by-elections, and pledged to move forward in a cooperative and symbiotic relationship with the executive branch to protect “the safety and happiness of citizens,” contrary to public concerns.
Chairman Kim emphasized that the first task to overcome together with Mayor Oh Se-hoon is “overcoming and ending COVID-19.” Reflecting on the past year’s experience, he said the two-track approach toward ending COVID-19 remains valid: suppressing the virus’s momentum through “thorough quarantine” and eradicating the virus through “intensive vaccination.”
He cautioned that the new method called “Seoul-style social distancing,” proposed by Mayor Oh, should be handled carefully so as not to foster complacency and cause a regression in the situation. He stated that the Seoul Metropolitan Council, which has prioritized the safety of Seoul citizens, will consider together what measures will constitute genuine cooperative quarantine.
He also stressed “stabilizing people’s livelihoods” as the second task to overcome together. He noted that many self-employed people are in dead-end situations, not only in businesses subject to gathering bans and restrictions. While listening to Mayor Oh’s proposed safe income plan, he suggested that if “basic income” is the ultimate solution, this year’s support should be expanded to cover a wider range of beneficiaries.
Furthermore, in this era of great transformation caused by COVID-19, various new occupations are emerging. He emphasized that Seoul must not retreat in reading the new paradigm of labor and guaranteeing the value of labor within the institutional framework, adding that he looks forward to the mayor’s concrete blueprint for labor policy.
Lastly, he mentioned “expansion of welfare” as the third task to overcome together. He said the past decade laid the foundation for universal welfare, and this year, with eco-friendly free school meals extended to all first-year high school students, there is no longer any harm caused by food insecurity within schools.
To offer even greater hope, he proposed to Mayor Oh Se-hoon that “free meals in kindergartens” should be considered so that young children in early childhood are not excluded from warm meals provided by the public sector. He urged that the education field should be covered by universal welfare as much as possible, but since kindergartens are still minimally covered, this should be regarded as one of the stepwise policies to ease the burden of child-rearing in the era of low birth rates.
Chairman Kim said, “Rome did not build walls after victory but opened roads,” emphasizing that the council and Seoul city should not build walls of political parties and ideologies and be trapped within them. He promised to open the way together for the completion of the millennium capital Seoul and to always accompany each other toward a stronger and safer Seoul based on mutual trust and cooperation.
This extraordinary session will begin with the opening ceremony on the day, followed by deliberations on various agenda items related to the respective offices, headquarters, and bureaus by each standing committee from April 20 to May 3. On the final day, May 4, a plenary session will be held to process the agenda items submitted after the standing committee discussions.
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