The Need to Expand Authority Suitable for a City with a Population of One Million
Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province held the '2025 Hwaseong Special City Development Forum' on the 18th at the Dongtan 2 Incubating Center Conference Hall in Hwaseong to explore ways to enhance the status and development direction of the special city and to seek administrative system reform plans ahead of the launch of the special city next year.
Participants are engaged in a panel discussion at the '2025 Hwaseong Special City Development Forum' held on the 18th. [Photo by Hwaseong City]
Co-hosted with the Korean Local Autonomy Association, the forum was attended by about 200 people, including Bae Gui-hee, president of the Korean Local Autonomy Association, Jang Cheol-gyu, chairman of the Planning and Administration Committee of Hwaseong City Council, Park Cheol-soo, director of Hwaseong City Research Institute, Park Bong-hyun, chairman of the 1 Million Special City Preparation Committee, special city supporters, and citizens.
Park Sang-woo, senior research fellow at Suwon City Research Institute, pointed out the problems of the special city’s direct administrative tasks, which currently number only about 20, in his presentation titled 'The Necessity and Development Plan for Discovering Regionally Customized Special Authority of Hwaseong Special City,' arguing that "to effectively respond to the rapidly increasing administrative demand, it is urgent to discover special administrative tasks and secure authority reflecting Hwaseong City's realities such as urban development, transportation, and environment."
Jo Seong-ho, senior research fellow at Gyeonggi Research Institute, emphasized the necessity of establishing general districts to improve citizens' administrative accessibility and provide administrative services tailored to regional characteristics. Professor Yoon Geon of Hanshin University also presented various plans regarding the establishment of general districts, considering administrative efficiency, living areas, regional identity, and natural geography.
The forum also held a panel discussion chaired by Park Gi-gwan, chairman of the Local Decentralization Special Committee of the Local Era Committee and professor at Sangji University. Participants included Professor Ra Hui-mun of Sungkyul University, Professor Park Jong-hyuk of Hankyung University, Professor Park Hyung-gyu of Kyonggi University, Professor Bae Gui-hwi of Soongsil University, Research Fellow Seok Ho-won of Hwaseong City Research Institute, and Research Fellow Jeon Dae-wook of the Korea Institute of Local Administration.
In particular, the panelists unanimously pointed out that although the current special city is a large city with a population exceeding 1 million, its administrative authority is limited, mentioning the need for authority expansion, establishment of general districts, securing public officials according to administrative demand, and financial expansion.
Lee Taek-gu, Director of Communication Administration Bureau of Hwaseong City, expressed hope that "through this forum, we will be able to raise citizens' understanding and consensus on securing the authority of the special city and establishing general districts, laying the groundwork for the successful launch of Hwaseong Special City."
Meanwhile, the city plans to finalize the general district establishment plan after going through the city council's opinion hearing process this month, and officially propose the establishment of four district offices to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety through Gyeonggi Province next month.
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