Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, Elected as Representative Chairman of the Association of Special City Mayors of the Republic of Korea

[Asia Economy (Yongin) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin Special City, has been elected as the representative chairman of the Korea Special City Mayors' Association.

The Korea Special City Mayors' Association held its second half regular meeting on the 18th at the Yongin City Hall Convention Hall, attended by Lee Dong-hwan, mayor of Goyang Special City; Lee Jae-jun, mayor of Suwon Special City; Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin Special City; and Hong Nam-pyo, mayor of Changwon Special City. On the 19th, it was announced that Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin Special City, was elected as the representative chairman. Lee Dong-hwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, was appointed as auditor.

During the meeting, the association exchanged opinions on matters such as ▲ progress in securing special city authority ▲ settlement report for fiscal years 2021-2022 ▲ enactment of the Special City Act ▲ establishment of a support organization for special cities (central-metropolitan-special city) and other measures to secure authority appropriate to the scale and capabilities of special cities.

Mayor Lee Sang-il stated, "Although some special city affairs have been partially transferred due to amendments to the Local Autonomy Act since the launch of special cities, it is still impossible to provide large-scale citizen services commensurate with the scale of a metropolitan city with a population of one million." He emphasized, "To realize the national agenda of 'a local era where it is good to live anywhere in Korea,' we will secure special city autonomy by communicating and cooperating with the National Assembly, government, and political circles centered on the association, and by finding ways to collaborate and coexist."

Meanwhile, the association is promoting the resumption of the second half of the 'Special City Support Council,' which was jointly operated last year by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, four special cities, and the association. At the end of this month, a related working-level meeting will be held with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to discuss plans for securing special city authority and support requests.