Local Governments Nationwide Demand Government Support Ahead of Urban Park Sunset Clause

[Suwon Ilbo=Seo Dong-young Reporter] Local governments nationwide have begun demanding central government support for urban parks ahead of the July sunset next year.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, a "Forum on Government's Urban Park Sunset Clause Countermeasures Assessment and Alternative Legislation for Problem Resolution" was held in Conference Room No. 1 of the National Assembly Members Hall.

At this event, Yum Tae-young, chairman of the National Conference of Mayors and Governors (Mayor of Suwon), along with Kwon Young-jin, chairman of the Korean Governors Association, and Kwon Tae-sun, representative of the 2020 Urban Park Sunset Clause National Civic Action, announced a joint statement calling for government support to prepare for the urban park sunset clause.

Four major local government bodies—the Korean Governors Association, the National Conference of Provincial and Metropolitan Assembly Speakers, the National Conference of Mayors and Governors, and the National Conference of County and Municipal Assembly Speakers—issued a "Joint Public Appeal for Private-Public Cooperation to Resolve the Urban Park Sunset Clause," emphasizing that institutional improvements are needed to fundamentally resolve the urban park sunset clause issue.

A total of 396 square kilometers of urban parks in South Korea will be dedesignated at once due to the sunset clause in July next year. By 2025, a total of 504 square kilometers are scheduled to be dedesignated. Local governments argue that institutional improvements are necessary, noting that much of the urban parks have been transferred as local affairs without financial support from the central government since the implementation of local autonomy.

The four major local government bodies and civic action groups made three requests to the government and National Assembly: ▲Exclude state and public land among urban parks from sunset clause targets and transfer them to local governments free of charge ▲Provide 50% of land acquisition costs and full interest on local bond issuances as national funding ▲Allow appropriate tax exemptions when urban parks are changed and designated as urban natural park zones.

The forum co-hosted by National Assembly members Lee Won-wook, Ahn Ho-young, Kang Hyo-sang, and Chu Hye-sun featured presentations on ▲Government responses to the urban park sunset clause ▲Response directions and policy tasks regarding the urban park sunset clause ▲Legislative and budget-securing measures for responding to the urban park sunset ▲Cases from Daegu and Suwon. During the subsequent Q&A; session, opinions were raised that the sunset clause should be postponed by approximately 3 to 5 years.

Yum Tae-young, chairman of the National Conference of Mayors and Governors, said, "Through a forum in which central, provincial, and basic governments, as well as civic organizations participate together, I hope we can develop realistic alternatives to protect urban parks."