Seoul City District Mayors' Association Demands Full Review of City Subsidy Financial Contribution Adjustment

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors (Chairman Seong Lee, Mayor of Guro District) held its 164th regular meeting on the 28th at 8:30 a.m. via an online video conference, discussing seven agenda items and approving five, addressing common issues among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Lee Seong stated, “Since the Chuseok holiday, the average daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul has exceeded 800, increasing residents’ anxiety. With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic causing fatigue among residents and a relaxed attitude toward social distancing, and with many holidays in October, increased contact and movement among residents are expected to cause a surge in confirmed cases. This is a very serious situation. To strongly block the spread of COVID-19, the Seoul District Mayors’ Council will closely cooperate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the safety and health of citizens, regardless of positions between metropolitan and local governments.”

During the meeting, a total of seven agenda items were discussed, including four for deliberation and approval and three other items.

The approved agenda items included: ▲ Proposal to increase the free meal unit price for low-income seniors (Eunpyeong District) ▲ Role sharing among central, metropolitan, and local governments for 2050 carbon neutrality (Seodaemun District) ▲ Proposal related to the 2022 COVID-19 vaccination implementation budget (Songpa District), totaling three items.

Additionally, the agenda item on revising the ordinance concerning some landscaping areas within green parking spaces (Jongno District) was postponed after reviewing various issues arising from the project, such as plant growth problems caused by vehicle exhaust, and conducting a field visit to Jongno District, which is already implementing the project, for multifaceted examination before further discussion.

A key agenda item, ‘Proposal to increase the free meal unit price for low-income seniors (Eunpyeong District),’ pointed out that the current unit price of 3,500 KRW is insufficient, and suggested adjusting the price to reflect inflation and meal types, along with revising the cost-sharing ratio between city and district funds accordingly.

Also, the ‘Proposal related to the 2022 COVID-19 vaccination implementation budget (Songpa District)’ noted that while the existing national vaccination costs are shared between national and local governments, considering COVID-19’s nature as a national disaster-level situation, the vaccination has been fully funded by national funds in 2021, and thus proposed that national-led vaccination management should continue in 2022. This proposal received broad consensus among participants.

Regarding the three other agenda items, two were approved: ▲ Proposal on adjusting financial sharing of city subsidies (Songpa District) ▲ The 4th-year expenditure budget formulation for the 7th term Seoul District Mayors’ Council (Council Secretariat). The third item, ▲ Unifying the 2022 birth congratulatory gift and first meeting voucher (Guro District), was deferred for further review and will be discussed again at the next meeting.

The main content of the ‘Proposal on adjusting financial sharing of city subsidies (Songpa District)’ pointed out that while Seoul Metropolitan Government conducts projects with budget sharing with districts, it sometimes shifts costs to districts even for projects fully funded by city funds, or unilaterally suspends or reduces city subsidies for projects initiated as city policies without prior consultation with districts, seriously undermining the financial autonomy of local governments.

The council decided to consolidate participants’ opinions and request a comprehensive review of the financial sharing of city subsidies by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Other reports and cooperation matters included a status report on projects promoted by the Welfare Grand Agreement TF of the Seoul District Mayors’ Council, such as ‘Elementary School Enrollment Preparation Support’ and ‘Standardization and Increase of Veterans’ Allowances’ related to the ‘Welfare Grand Agreement TF for Sustainable Welfare System Establishment’ (Seongdong District).

Additionally, discussions were held on ▲ Cooperation for the 2021 Regional Balanced New Deal Good Jobs Forum (Yangcheon District) ▲ Progress report on 2021 public employee wage negotiations (Secretariat) ▲ Formation of an advisory group for the Seoul Metropolitan District Administration Council (Secretariat).

As for outstanding district cases, six exemplary administrative initiatives were shared: ▲ Operation of ‘Gwangjin Good Shop’ supporting online sales of excellent small and medium enterprises (Gwangjin District) ▲ Active administration through on-site communication to resolve shared land division issues unresolved for 60 years (Seongbuk District) ▲ Measures to prevent illegal brokerage and rental fraud (Gangbuk District) ▲ Promotion of Seoul-Gyeonggi business agreement for the enhancement of Anyangcheon river attraction project (Guro District) ▲ Seoul’s first senior-friendly convenience store ‘Come to the Good Store’ (Geumcheon District) ▲ Expansion of eco-friendly practice movement through the tree planting app Ontree (Songpa District).

The meeting was attended by 24 district mayors, including Chairman Lee Seong (Mayor of Guro District) and four deputy mayors attending on behalf of their districts. The 165th regular meeting, held jointly with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is scheduled for October 26.