Suwon Mayor Seo Chul-mo Proposes Institutional Reforms at State Affairs Briefing

Suwon Mayor Seo Chul-mo attended a state affairs briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the 8th and proposed institutional improvements to resolve regional issues.

The briefing, held to share the government's national policy direction and current agenda, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Yoo Eun-hye, Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum, and 226 mayors and county governors from across the country.

At the meeting, Mayor Seo proposed the establishment of a 'Social Service Center' in major cities with populations over 500,000.

The 'Social Service Center' project involves the government directly providing care services such as childcare facilities and long-term care facilities to ensure public accessibility and transparency of welfare while offering quality jobs for workers.

However, the 'Bill on Social Service Management and Support' currently pending in the National Assembly specifies that only metropolitan-level local governments can establish and operate such centers, meaning that basic local governments cannot operate them.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hye said, "We view the Social Service Center positively," and added, "We will carefully examine how it can be made possible at the basic local government level and provide a response at a later date."

Mayor Seo also proposed approval for the establishment of a district office, a long-standing wish of Suwon residents. Under the current Local Autonomy Act, cities with populations over 500,000 can have general districts, but in line with government policy since 2008, approval from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has not been granted.

Suwon, with an area 1.4 times larger than Seoul and a population of 760,000, is an urban-rural composite city where new cities in the eastern region coexist with agricultural and fishing villages in the western region, with the need for a general district establishment being continuously raised to handle complex administrative demands and divide roles by region.

Meanwhile, following the state affairs briefing, an informal lunch meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in was held at Cheong Wa Dae's Young Bin Hall. Prior to commemorative photography, Mayor Seo drew attention by personally pinning a 'Suwon 100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement Commemorative Badge' on President Moon Jae-in.