Changwon Mayor Hong Nampyo and Special Mayors Urge 'Enactment of Special Law'

National Assembly Forum on the "Special Act for Special Cities" Held

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Song Jong-gu] Four special cities including Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam have raised a unified voice for the enactment of the Special Act on Special Cities.

Mayor Hong Nam-pyo attended the 'National Assembly Forum for the Enactment of the Special Act on Special Cities' held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 22nd.

The forum was held following the consensus on the need to publicize the enactment of the 'Special Act on Special Cities' at the temporary meeting of the 'Korea Special Cities Mayors' Council' held in Changwon last November.

Four special cities, including Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, raised a unified voice for the enactment of the Special Act for Special Cities.

The forum was attended by mayors of the four special cities, members of the National Assembly representing the special city districts, provincial councilors, special city councilors, and officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who shared the necessity of the special act and discussed legislative measures.

After a keynote presentation on the 'Necessity of Enacting a Special Act to Support Special Cities and the Draft Bill' by the National Association of Large City Research Institutes, a discussion was held. The discussion was chaired by Kim Soon-eun, former Chairperson of the Committee on Local Autonomy, with panelists including Ahn Seung-dae, Director of Local Autonomy Policy at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, So Soon-chang, President of the Korean Local Government Association, Ha Hye-young, Head of the Administration and Safety Team at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, and Yoon Sung-il, Professor at Kangwon National University.

The discussion covered the necessity of the special act, analysis of domestic and international cases, and the rationale for the bill. In particular, the current issues of the special city system were pointed out as ▲ delayed transfer of authority ▲ complexity of the procedure to secure special status ▲ conflicts between administrative agencies and lack of mediation bodies ▲ absence of financial special provisions.

Accordingly, the four special cities plan to include comprehensive authority transfer, financial special provisions, and the establishment of a dedicated support organization for special cities in the special act.

Through this National Assembly forum, the four special cities plan to publicize the enactment of the Special Act on Special Cities and lead the bill proposal within the first half of this year.

Mayor Hong said, “Comprehensive authority and support are necessary to respond to population decline and local extinction and to prepare for the next 50 years of Changwon, a metropolitan city with a population of one million,” and added, “I ask for empathy and support from all sectors for the enactment of the special act.”