Ministry of the Interior and Safety Selects 8 Outstanding Local Government Cases for Regional Economic Revitalization and Citizen Safety Enhancement

Regional Economic Revitalization: Gyeongsangnam-do and Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do Selected as Outstanding Local Governments

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 23rd, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it has selected eight outstanding cases of regulatory difficulty resolution in which local governments contributed to improving unreasonable regulations through proactive administration, revitalizing the local economy, and enhancing residents' quality of life.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, a total of 403 proactive administration cases were submitted by local governments in the first quarter of this year, and after internal and external reviews, eight outstanding cases were selected. The eight selected cases are divided into four categories with two cases each: local economic revitalization (Gyeongsangnam-do, Yangju-si), strengthening citizen safety (Gwangju Metropolitan City, Hwaseong-si), resolving resident inconveniences (Suwon-si, Anseong-si), and promoting welfare for the elderly and youth (Jinan-gun, Haenam-gun).

In the field of local economic revitalization, Gyeongsangnam-do and Yangju-si in Gyeonggi-do were selected as outstanding local governments. Gyeongsangnam-do actively pursued amendments to related laws to allow conditional entry of agricultural, forestry, and livestock product manufacturing and processing companies in the port hinterland complex and contributed to local economic revitalization by reducing manufacturing rental fees. Yangju-si in Gyeonggi-do introduced a pre-review request system for food and public hygiene businesses, efficiently improving licensing procedures and protecting the property rights of self-employed individuals.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Hwaseong-si were selected as local governments that strengthened citizen safety through regulatory improvements. Gwangju Metropolitan City integrated the drone video information systems, which were operated separately by civilian, government, military, and police sectors, enabling immediate response to various disasters and emergencies. Hwaseong-si in Gyeonggi-do introduced a two-way emergency vehicle priority signal control system to protect citizens' lives and property.

Suwon-si in Gyeonggi-do’s “Nation’s first operation of smart streetlight electric vehicle rapid chargers” and Anseong-si in Gyeonggi-do’s “Resolving metropolitan transportation blind spots through amendments to the Enforcement Rules of the Passenger Transport Service Act” were selected as regulatory improvement cases resolving resident inconveniences. Suwon-si installed electric vehicle rapid chargers on streetlights that charge seven times faster than existing chargers, allowing citizens to use them conveniently. Anseong-si actively pursued regulatory improvements that limited metropolitan bus operation distances to 50 km from administrative district boundaries, enhancing public transportation convenience for citizens and contributing nationwide to resolving metropolitan transportation blind spots.

Additionally, Jinan-gun in Jeonbuk and Haenam-gun in Jeollanam-do were selected as outstanding local governments for improving complaint handling for elderly residents and youth usage rights. In Jinan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, where 36% of residents are elderly, the development of complaint issuance machines with voice guidance and the ability to report various daily inconveniences was promoted to enable IT village residents to conveniently handle complaints, along with conducting video consultations with public officials. Haenam-gun in Jeollanam-do amended ordinances to allow youth commuting students living in remote areas to use safe return taxis year-round.

Kim Jang-hoe, Director of the Local Finance and Economy Office, said, “Regulatory innovation is another policy that revitalizes the local economy and makes life more convenient,” adding, “Going forward, local governments and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will actively strive to discover and spread cases of resolving regulatory difficulties centered on the field and demanders across society, including local residents, businesses, and small merchants.”