Suwon Mayor Yom Tae-young: "Decentralization Is Necessary to Become a Developed Country"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Yom Tae-young, chairman of the National Association of Mayors and Governors and Mayor of Suwon, stated on the 10th, "Decentralization is necessary to become a developed country."

Chairman Yom delivered a keynote speech titled 'Back to the local—The Future of Korea Lies in Local Regions' at a special lecture of the '2020 Gyeongnam Social Innovation International Forum' held at Changwon Convention Center that afternoon. He emphasized, "Developed countries did not decentralize because they were developed; rather, they became developed because they decentralized," stressing to Gyeongnam residents the necessity of local-centered development.

Chairman Yom Tae-young's keynote speech centered on the conviction that regional decline and future crises can be overcome by granting regions the authority and responsibility to solve their own problems.

The lecture began by questioning whether our society, which has achieved remarkable progress in economy and culture, is sustainable. He then highlighted the inevitable crises ahead, including regional decline brought about by demographic cliff, youth unemployment, and increased welfare spending.

Chairman Yom proposed that to overcome these challenges, solutions must shift from a central government-focused approach to a local government-centered one.

He stated, "Local autonomy means that regions independently handle projects needed by their regions, but currently, it is no different from being a 'branch office of the central government,'" and cited examples of cases constrained by finances and regulations.

He then emphasized the need for local-centered solutions by citing examples of successful urban regeneration in cities such as Malmö, Germany; Bilbao, Spain; and Yokohama, Japan—cities that once developed around shipbuilding but lost competitiveness and declined, only to achieve successful urban regeneration through large-scale city projects led by local communities and residents.

Chairman Yom Tae-young argued, "Local governments are not policy delivery agents but are autonomous actors. They should be allowed to take charge of their own affairs."

He cited small-scale success cases as examples, including the transformation of Haenggung-dong in Suwon City driven by residents who created a car-free street for one month in September 2013, and the Gwanggyo Mountain Cooperative Agreement, where residents took the lead in resolving decades-long conflicts.

Finally, Chairman Yom Tae-young emphasized, "The 226 local governments that best understand the policy consumers of their regions must identify projects that can spread nationwide, make necessary supplements, and expand them across the nation," and stressed, "We must create citizen democracy through local autonomy and decentralization."