Lawmaker Shim Hosts 14 Regional Discussion Forums in June Alone

▲ Photo source - Voice of the People, courtesy of reporter Han Seung-ho

Lawmaker Shim Jae-deok is keeping a busy schedule in pursuit of improvements to the local autonomy system.

Shim, who serves as chairman of the Special Committee on Local Autonomy at the Uri Party, will hold 14 regional discussion forums in June alone. Starting with Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province on May 10, a total of 8 regional forums have already been held so far, with consecutive road trips to Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, Daejeon, Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province, Seoul, and Jeonju.

The topics discussed so far have comprehensively covered local autonomy issues including expanded local finances, improvements to the local education autonomy system, and reforms to the local administrative system.

Perhaps due to the importance of these matters, local media outlets in each region where the forums are held are reporting the discussion contents in detail. With frequent visits to local areas, interview requests are pouring in from various regional broadcasters such as Daejeon MBC and Busan Broadcasting.

The regional discussion forums feature not only academic experts as panelists but also local assembly members and local journalists from the respective regions. The aim is to hear firsthand the authentic voices of each community.

In particular, on the 13th, a "Symposium for Expanded Local Decentralization" will be held in Yeouido, Seoul. This is an occasion to develop party-level measures based on regional opinions gathered thus far.

Despite the grueling schedule of traveling back and forth between local regions and Seoul, staff members acknowledge gaining invisible achievements in the sense of making contact with grassroots public sentiment, though they are exhausted.

Consequently, the initial plan to pose questions to the government during the June extraordinary National Assembly session has been postponed. This is to focus on the regional discussion forum schedule, of course.

Attention is focused on what policy results Lawmaker Shim Jae-deok's regional tours will yield, having entered the National Assembly for "local autonomy system reform."

The following is the main schedule of regional forums.

▲June 7, Buk-gu Office in Gwangju: Current state and improvements to local assembly operations
▲June 8, Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province: Problems and improvements to the current public audit system
▲June 10, Cheongju City Hall: Status and improvements to decentralization of central authority
▲June 13, Seoul: Improvements to the election system for heads of basic local governments
▲June 14, Changwon City Hall: Improvements to local political system
▲June 15, Gangseo-gu Office in Busan: Current state and improvements to local assembly operations
▲June 16, Daegu: Status and improvements to decentralization of central authority

<Yeouido Dispatch = Reporter Kim Dong-hyun>