Hanam Mayor Lee Hyunjae: "Outdated 40-Year-Old Seoul Metropolitan Regulations Must Now Be Cast Off"

Claim Raised at Han River Love Forum Meeting
Five Local Governments Including Hanam and Yongin
United Call for "Sweeping Reform of Metropolitan Regulations"

Lee Hyunjae, mayor of Hanam in Gyeonggi Province, attended the second meeting of the second-term Han River Love Forum held on the 25th at the Yongin Special City Hall Convention Hall, where he strongly expressed his commitment to mutually beneficial cooperation among local governments to improve regulations in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Lee Hyunjae, Mayor of Hanam (second from left), is attending the second meeting of the second term of the Han River Love Forum held on the 25th at the Yongin Special City Hall Convention Hall. Provided by Hanam City

The meeting, co-hosted by Yongin Special City and the office of National Assembly member Song Seokjun, was attended by Mayor Lee Hyunjae, the heads of five local governments including Yongin, Icheon, Gwangju, and Gapyeong, and People Power Party lawmaker Song Seokjun (Icheon, Gyeonggi Province).

In particular, representatives of civic groups, including Kang Cheonsim and Shin Yongbaek, co-chairs of the Special Countermeasures Area Water Quality Preservation Policy Council, also attended, adding significance in terms of public-private cooperation for regulatory improvement.

The participants shared a deep understanding that overlapping regulations under the Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act, enacted more than 40 years ago, are hindering the development of the overcrowding control zone, nature conservation zone, and growth management area, and are ultimately undermining the overall competitiveness of the country.

Accordingly, they called for a fundamental overhaul of the relevant laws and regulations so that regulations in the Seoul metropolitan area can be rationally adjusted in line with current realities and the region's economic potential can be maximized. They also agreed to pursue ongoing communication and joint responses so that local governments and citizens can directly participate in the regulatory improvement process and be guaranteed transparent and fair opportunities.

Hanam City has been making extensive efforts to ease regulations in the Seoul metropolitan area. In particular, since the entire city has been designated as an overcrowding control zone and is therefore subject to unreasonable regulations, it has been carrying out deregulation activities through the Overcrowding Control Zone Local Government Joint Response Council, together with 12 local governments in Gyeonggi Province.

In addition, to promote the city's flagship project, the K-Culture Complex (K-Star World), Hanam has established measures to manage water pollution sources and successfully led the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to revise its guidelines on lifting greenbelt (GB) designations, thereby achieving results in establishing reasonable standards that harmonize environmental conservation and urban development.

At the meeting, Mayor Lee formally proposed holding a policy forum and press conference with the participation of experts; the Ministry of Environment's Climate, Environment and Energy Office; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; the Office for Government Policy Coordination; the National Assembly; and local governments in Gyeonggi Province, in order to reasonably improve regulations in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Mayor Lee stressed, "We need to create a venue for policy debate to improve unreasonable regulations and to persuade stakeholders of the legitimacy of regulatory reform," adding, "We will not stop at mere discussion, but will continue consultations with the central government to help strengthen national competitiveness."

Based on the outcome of this meeting, the Han River Love Forum plans to hold a (tentatively titled) Policy Forum on Mutually Beneficial Development of the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Provincial Regions at the National Assembly on March 25.

Reflecting the characteristics of Hanam as a city where the entire area is designated as an overcrowding control zone, the city plans to thoroughly prepare and present specific proposals to address unreasonable regulations.