Yongin City to Introduce Dual-Officer System in City Council Secretariat

Legislative Notice Issued for Amendments to the "Ordinance on Administrative Organization and Staffing"
Enhancing Expertise by Expanding to a Dual-Officer System for Council and Legislative Affairs

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province will expand its city council secretariat from a single-officer system to a dual-officer system. This marks the first case of introducing a dual-officer system in a special city with a population of over one million.

On May 30, Yongin City announced a legislative notice for proposed amendments to relevant regulations, including the "Ordinance on the Administrative Organization and Staffing of Yongin City," to introduce a dual-officer system with two Grade 5 officials in the city council secretariat. The city plans to collect public opinions on the amendments and submit them to the first regular session of the city council scheduled for next month.

If the amendments pass the city council, Yongin City will become the first special city to incorporate a dual-officer system into its organization following the revision of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "Regulations on Administrative Organizations and Staffing Standards for Local Governments."

Until now, the Yongin City Council secretariat has operated under a single-officer system led by a "Council Affairs Officer," handling council affairs, legislative support, and related functions. However, with the introduction of the dual-officer system, the secretariat will have both the existing Council Affairs Officer (Grade 5) and a new "Legislative Affairs Officer," which the city expects will provide more specialized support in both council and legislative matters.

However, the city determined that, given the high administrative demand and diverse circumstances of a special city with a population exceeding one million, it is desirable for the city council to operate under a dual-officer system to fulfill its role appropriately. Accordingly, the city requested this change from the central government and succeeded in implementing it. In January of last year, the city requested an authoritative interpretation from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety regarding the possibility of establishing a dual-officer system in special city councils. In May of the same year, the city officially proposed an organizational special case to the ministry, including the establishment of a dual-officer system in the "Special Act for Supporting Special Cities."

Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin, stated, "Introducing the dual-officer system to the city council is not simply about expanding the organization, but about enhancing the council's expertise and broadening its scope of activities." He added, "Taking the implementation of the dual-officer system as an opportunity, we will strengthen communication and cooperation with the city council to improve the quality of life for our citizens."