Gwangju Buk-gu Council Urges Passage of 'Political Funds Act Amendment' at Plenary Session

There have been calls for the Political Funds Act to be promptly amended to allow local council members to form individual support committees.

A member of the Buk-gu Council in Gwangju Metropolitan City issued a statement on the 31st, saying "Since the revival of local autonomy in 1991, local council members have quietly carried out their roles to improve residents' quality of life and regional development, but they have faced difficulties in securing the necessary expenses for their council activities on their own."

He continued, "In November 2022, the Constitutional Court ruled the current provision of the Political Funds Act unconstitutional, which prohibits local council members from forming individual support committees while allowing members of the National Assembly to do so, thereby opening the way for local council members to have support committees."

However, he added, "Although the amendment to the Political Funds Act passed the National Assembly's Political Reform Special Committee and the Judiciary Committee on January 8, it has yet to clear the plenary session," and strongly urged, "The National Assembly must swiftly pass the amendment to the Political Funds Act."

He also stated, "Local councils are the foundation of grassroots democracy, and establishing support committees is necessary for the consolidation of democracy," and pledged, "Through this, we will carry out more transparent and accountable council activities."