Gwangju Seo-gu Council Passes Resolution Urging Enactment of Local Council Act

Proposed by Assemblyman Baek Jong-han

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] The “Resolution to Urge the Enactment of the Local Council Act to Secure the Autonomy of Local Councils,” proposed by Baek Jong-han, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council, was unanimously approved at the 2nd plenary session of the 306th regular meeting.

Rep. Baek stated, “With the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act on January 13, 2022, the independence of personnel authority for local councils was achieved,” adding, “However, the revised Local Autonomy Act still does not include organizational composition rights and budget formulation rights that support the independence of personnel authority for councils. This shows that councils remain weaker in organization and authority compared to executive bodies and face limitations in their fundamental roles of oversight and checks.”

He continued, “Since local councils were formed through elections in 1991, even after more than 30 years, local councils still base their authority only on a single chapter within the Local Autonomy Act without an independent law,” and added, “To break away from the perception that local councils, as one pillar of local autonomy, are subordinate institutions of local governments and to effectively check executive bodies, it is necessary to enact a Local Council Act that includes matters related to organizational composition rights and budget formulation rights, thereby enhancing policy capabilities and securing true independence based on this.”

Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho yjm3070@asiae.co.kr