Is It Because It's Mayor Lee Gijae's Pledge?... Yangcheon District Council Doesn't Even Submit Ordinances Closely Related to Residents' Lives

Ordinance Proposal to Expand Scholarship Support Not Submitted, Making It Difficult to Increase Scholarship Aid for Our Children ▲Council Member's Proposal for 'Disaster Emergency Living Support Fund' Also Blocked ▲Refusal to Expand Benefits for Veterans Who Served the Nation
▲Property Tax 40% Reduction Proposal for Residents in Airport Noise-Affected Areas Not Even Submitted ▲Outdoor Court Roof Installation at Mokdong Tennis Court Deleted Without Consulting Relevant Departments

Emergency Press Conference Condemning the Non-Submission of the Yangcheon-gu Council Ordinance Closely Related to Residents' Lives

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the morning of the 8th, Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, held an emergency press conference and expressed strong regret and concern over the unilateral failure to submit ordinances closely related to residents' lives at the 2nd regular session of the 296th Yangcheon-gu Council.

Yangcheon-gu submitted a total of 13 agenda items to the council for the 2nd regular session on November 14. Among these, 9 items (4 submitted by the district, 5 proposed by council members) were not even put on the agenda. Most of these were major issues related to residents' lives, including ▲ Partial amendment of the ordinance on the establishment and operation of the scholarship fund ▲ Ordinance on support for emergency disaster living expenses ▲ Partial amendment of the ordinance on the treatment and support for national veterans and war veterans ▲ Complete revision of the ordinance on tax reduction and exemption.

Additionally, the agenda item related to the ‘Installation of a roof on the outdoor courts of Mokdong Tennis Court’ in the 2023 regular shared property management plan (draft) was deleted and revised.

Ordinance to expand scholarship support not submitted, making it difficult to increase scholarships for our children

The proposal to delete the 2 billion KRW limit on the scholarship fund target amount, prioritizing ‘more scholarship support’ for low-income students, was not submitted. This proposal aimed to partially amend the Seoul Yangcheon-gu Scholarship Fund Establishment and Operation Ordinance to secure scholarship fund resources to promote equal educational opportunities and academic improvement for more students in the region. However, the council cited temporarily high interest rates as a reason and expressed the opinion that additional contributions were unnecessary.

Council member-proposed ‘Emergency Disaster Living Expense Support’ ordinance also blocked

Following sudden heavy rains last summer and the Itaewon tragedy, the importance of resident safety has become greater than ever. In response, a council member proposed an ordinance to provide emergency disaster living expenses to prepare for significant social and economic disasters occurring within the region for the residents of Yangcheon-gu. Despite being proposed by a council member, the council did not even put it on the agenda, labeling it as a populist ordinance by the mayor to grant benefits to residents.

Expansion of benefits for veterans who served the nation also rejected

Among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, Yangcheon-gu is the only one with an age restriction regulation, and issues of fairness compared to other districts have been continuously raised. The proposal to expand the benefits allowance for veterans was also rejected. Currently, Yangcheon-gu only provides 50,000 KRW per month to those aged 65 and older. The ordinance on the treatment and support for national veterans and war veterans in Yangcheon-gu aimed to abolish the age restriction to ensure thorough treatment and support for those who sacrificed for the nation. However, since it was not even put on the agenda, difficulties in supporting national veterans are expected.

Ordinance to reduce property tax by 40% for residents affected by airport noise not even submitted

The district has been continuously demanding fair compensation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for residents suffering noise damage from Gimpo Airport. Moreover, as the best effort Yangcheon-gu can make for residents suffering property damage, it has been promoting an ordinance to reduce property tax by 40% in airport noise-affected areas. The property tax reduction for airport noise countermeasure areas was intended to compensate for some of the property disadvantages such as height restrictions and decreased housing appraisal values caused by aircraft takeoffs and landings at Gimpo Airport. However, it was ultimately not submitted to the Administrative and Finance Committee.

‘Installation of roof on outdoor courts at Mokdong Tennis Court’ deleted without consulting related departments

The agenda item for the ‘Construction of a roof on the outdoor courts at Mokdong Tennis Court’ in the 2023 regular shared property management plan (draft) was also deleted and revised on the same day. The district submitted the shared property management plan to install rain shelters on the outdoor courts of Mokdong Tennis Court to make it usable year-round. However, without accurate explanations or hearing opinions from related departments, and despite requests for proper agenda submission, it was forcibly processed, hindering the district’s efforts to promote residents’ sports activities.