Local Governments? They're Provincial Governments

▲ On March 18, Rep. Shim Jae-deok participated as a lecturer at the Jangseong Academy held in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do. The theme of the lecture that day was "Administrative System Reform in an Era of Change and Balanced National Development" / Photo by Kim Dong-hyun, reporter

"For local governance to thrive, it must break free from dependence on central politics."

At the Jangseong Academy held in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do on the 18th, around 200 attendees including Jangseong County civil servants and local residents gathered for the academy. Rep. Shim Jae-deok of the Open Uri Party advocated for his long-held convictions: "exclusion of party nomination for local government leaders" and "administrative system restructuring."

Rep. Shim began his lecture by citing the warm hospitality shown by Turkish citizens during his recent visit to Turkey, saying, "When I first arrived in Jangseong, the civil servants' faces looked bright."

The theme of the day's lecture was "Administrative System Reform in an Era of Change and Balanced National Development." Rather than reading from a prepared script, Rep. Shim introduced anecdotes from his time as mayor of Suwon and emphasized the "necessity of excluding party nomination for local government heads," using his signature "golf theory" to discuss the importance of local governance.

"You must remember when Park Se-ri won the LPGA championship. In golf, the golf ball is policy and national initiatives. The golf club is the central government. Park Se-ri's upper body becomes the central government, you see. Just as Park Se-ri sank the ball into the cup hole with her strong legs, the legs represent the local government. Only when the lower body is strong, when the local government stands firm, can the central government stand well."

Rep. Shim cited the problems with party nomination for local government heads as: △extreme regionalism △absolute influence of political parties △subordination of local politics to central control.

▲ Jangseong County civil servants and audience members at the Jangseong Academy. About 200 audience members attended the lecture that day / Photo by Kim Dong-hyun, reporter

Rep. Shim pointed out that "the term 'local governmental organization' itself is wrong," stating "when translated into English, it becomes 'local government.' The central government diminished local governments by calling them 'organizations.'" He also highlighted issues with the terminology.

"In the past, when the central government heard talk of local governance, it would counter-ask, 'How can there be local governance without fiscal independence?' But I believe this problem depends on how the state approaches it. More than 10 years have passed since the introduction of local governance, but problems that exist must be changed. The biggest issue is that party nominations for local government heads should not be allowed. Also, the restrictions on consecutive terms should be eliminated. It is inconsistent to allow National Assembly members to serve three or five terms while limiting local government heads to three terms. They should be allowed to work as long as they are able to. And that choice should be made by the residents."

Alongside the exclusion of party nomination for local government heads, Rep. Shim discussed the necessity of administrative system restructuring, saying, "It is time for the administrative structure created by Japan 100 years ago to change," and emphasized that "with developments in transportation and information technology, the old administrative structure cannot deliver administration for local residents."

At the end of the lecture, when Rep. Shim brought up the recent introduction of the team system in the Ministry of Interior and Safety, he said, "10 years ago when Jangseong County tried to introduce the team system, it was the Ministry of Interior and Safety that opposed it," and "if the team system had been implemented then, Jangseong County would have looked very different," emphasizing the importance of creative organizational management in local government.

The Honam lecture by the National Assembly member from Suwon ended there.

<Yeouido Correspondence=Reporter Kim Dong-hyun>