Seoul Citizen Audit Ombudsman Committee Holds Petition Review Meeting

Petition Investigation Results, Deliberation on Disclosure of Public Petitions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 7th that it formed the 'Seoul Metropolitan Petition Review Committee' on November 1 last year to enhance the objectivity and fairness of petition processing and to improve the effectiveness of the petition system, and held this year's Seoul Metropolitan Petition Review Committee meeting on the 1st.

The Review Committee deliberated and resolved on the petition processing regarding the 'Lifting of the Bukhansan Height Restriction Zone' petition received through the Open Civil Service Office in November last year, and on the matter of whether to disclose the public petition requesting the renaming of the Subway Line 6 World Cup Stadium Station to Seoul World Cup Stadium Station, which was submitted as a public petition through the online petition system 'Petition24' in January last year.

The 'Lifting of the Bukhansan Height Restriction Zone' petition requests a re-examination of the rationality of the 20m height restriction at this point in time, as the Bukhansan Height Restriction Zone was designated in 1990 and for over 30 years the residential environment has deteriorated and regional development has been hindered. The Seoul City petition supervising department, the Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee, notified the petition processing department of the review results requesting the petition to be handled considering a reasonable height standard and landscape management plan, as the petition involves a mixture of public interest such as natural landscape protection and private interests such as tenant protection. The petition processing department is currently conducting an urban management plan revision project for eight height restriction zones in Seoul, including the Bukhansan Height Restriction Zone, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of November this year.

Regarding the matter of whether to disclose the public petition requesting the renaming of Subway Line 6 World Cup Stadium Station to Seoul World Cup Stadium Station, the Review Committee agreed with the processing department's opinion that disclosure is possible and notified the processing department of the review results.

Juyonghak, Chairman of the Seoul Petition Review Committee (Chairman of the Seoul Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee), said, “As the petition supervising department, the Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee will do its best toward a 'Companion and Attractive Special City Seoul' through prompt and systematic petition processing and fair and objective operation of the Review Committee.”

He also emphasized, “Although the petition processing department is not required to follow the Review Committee's results, the review itself must be conducted according to Article 8 of the Petition Act, and the Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee will continuously monitor whether the petition processing department reflects the Review Committee's results to enhance the credibility of the Petition Review Committee.”

Meanwhile, the Review Committee consists of a total of seven members: four appointed members with a two-year term (Assistant Professor Mingeon Kim of the Department of Administrative Practice at Hanyang Women's University, Attorney Jungmin Park of Hanil Law Firm, Attorney Seung-eun Lee of Hanjung Law Firm, Assistant Professor Hyunsoo Lee of Far East University), and three members from the Seoul Citizens' Audit Ombudsman Committee, including Chairman Juyonghak (Chairman of the Petition Review Committee), and members Jeonga Kim and Junwoo Park, who are in charge of petition processing at Seoul City.