The Association of Special City Mayors of the Republic of Korea Holds 3rd Meeting in Changwon Special City

Discussion on Securing Momentum for Special Act on Special Cities through National Assembly Policy Forum

The 3rd meeting of the 2022 Korea Special City Mayors' Council was held in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Song Jong-gu] On the 29th at 11 a.m., the 3rd meeting of the Korea Special City Mayors' Council in 2022 was held at the Jinhae Marine Solar Park Grand Conference Hall in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam.

At the meeting, Mayor Hong Nam-pyo of Changwon Special City, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City, Mayor Lee Jae-jun of Suwon Special City, and Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin Special City attended and focused on discussing ways to secure the authority of special cities.

The Special City Mayors' Council agreed on the need to enact a special law containing provisions granting comprehensive special authority to secure the powers of special cities, and agreed to hold a policy forum early next year with local lawmakers to build consensus with the National Assembly and central government ministries and to promote legislative public discussion.

In connection with the meeting, the final report on the "Basic Research Related to the Enactment of a Special Law Supporting Special Cities," promoted by the National Association of Large City Research Institutes to establish the necessity and rationale for enacting the special law, was concluded with a presentation by Ja-seong Lee, principal researcher at the Changwon City Research Institute.

Mayor Hong said, "While basic research and preparation of the bill must precede the enactment of the special law, what is most important is the interest and support of citizens and the political community," adding, "Through future policy forums, we will lead consensus among the 4.5 million special city citizens as well as the National Assembly and government, and create a special law that guarantees the legal stability and effectiveness of special cities."

After the meeting, the city conducted a briefing on port special authority related to Jinhae Port and the new port at the Solar Tower Observatory, a landmark of Changwon. Changwon is the only port city among special cities and secured development and management authority over Jinhae Port through the revision of the Local Autonomy Act in April, with enforcement scheduled for April next year.