"Local Governments Must Grow for the Nation to Grow"... Yeonghonam Provincial Governors Adopt 'Ulsan Statement'

8 Provincial Governors Hold 17th Cooperation Meeting in Ulsan

United for an Era Where Anywhere in Korea Is a Good Place to Live

Kim Doo-gyeom, Ulsan Mayor, Says "Expanding Local Government Authority Is Key"

The governors of eight metropolitan areas in Yeongho and Nam gathered in Ulsan, the chair city of the Council of Governors of Provinces and Cities.

On the 23rd at 1 p.m., Ulsan City held the "17th Yeongho-Nam Governors' Cooperation Meeting" (Chairman Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan) at the Crystal Ballroom of Lotte Hotel Ulsan, attended by the governors of eight Yeongho-Nam provinces and cities (Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam).

The meeting proceeded with reports on the operation status of the East-West Exchange Cooperation Foundation, established for the purpose of East-West harmony, the signing of a joint statement for joint response to decentralization and regional balanced development, and the election of the next chairman of the council.

The eight Yeongho-Nam governors agreed on the need to strengthen practical authority and systems that allow local governments to lead growth themselves in order to realize an era of local governments where it is good to live anywhere, and adopted a total of nine joint statements.

Part of the joint statement.

The main points of the joint statement include △implementation of a differentiated regional tariff system △expansion of local resource facility tax revenue △strengthening of local government autonomy organization rights △enactment of a special law for urban convergence special zones △conversion of childbirth incentive payments to national support projects △improvement of the 4 cities (都) 3 villages (村) revitalization system △strengthening decentralization for the local era (national support for firefighting personnel expenses, dual system of autonomous police) △designation of the South Coast flight freedom zone △construction of Yeongho-Nam metropolitan railway network (10 lines) and Yeongho-Nam metropolitan road network construction (2 lines).

In addition, they promised mutual support and participation among cities and provinces for the successful hosting of 13 major events, including the "Ulsan Industrial Festival" planned by each city and province.

Chairman Kim Doo-gyeom said, "Yeongho-Nam accounts for 30% of the nation's population with 17 million people, but recently has faced many difficulties such as population extinction," adding, "Let the governors of Yeongho-Nam jointly respond by expanding the practical authority of local governments so that we can solve our problems ourselves."

The Yeongho-Nam Governors' Cooperation Meeting was launched in 1998 to maintain close ties and cooperation systems between the Yeongho and Nam regions and to promote win-win cooperation. It is dedicated to Yeongho-Nam friendship exchanges and supporting cooperative projects of private organizations for Yeongho-Nam mutual prosperity.