Tasks and Prospects for Strengthening Suwon-Style Local Autonomy...Contemplating the Future

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The Suwon Local Autonomy Council and the Korean Association for Public Administration held a planned seminar on the 28th at Suwon Convention Center under the theme of 'Tasks and Prospects for Strengthening Suwon-Style Local Autonomy.'

Although the comprehensive Local Autonomy Act revision bill ultimately failed in the 20th National Assembly, with new hopes for the newly constituted 21st National Assembly, the direction for strengthening Suwon-style local autonomy was re-examined. Additionally, efforts and future tasks to pass the comprehensive Local Autonomy Act revision bill in the 21st National Assembly were explored.

Lee Won-hee, chair of the Suwon Local Autonomy Council and president of the Korean Association for Public Administration, said in his opening remarks, "Please examine the roles and functions of the past National Assembly and discuss the roles of the 21st National Assembly, and together present the direction for the Suwon Local Autonomy Council to move forward, opening up the future of local autonomy."

Subsequently, Kim Chang-ho, senior research fellow at the Korean Institute of Local Administration, and Lim Jung-bin, professor of public administration at Sungkyul University, made the first presentation on 'Tasks for the 21st National Assembly in Strengthening Local Autonomy.'

This included the view that the 21st National Assembly should make the reintroduction and passage of the comprehensive Local Autonomy Act revision a short-term task, and pursue constitutional revision as a mid-term task to lay the basic foundation for local autonomy.

Cho Sung-ho, senior research fellow at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, who took on the second presentation, proposed future policy directions and roles for Suwon City through 'Achievements and Tasks of Suwon City in Strengthening Local Autonomy.'

Researcher Cho Sung-ho argued that Suwon City should actively participate in implementing the second-stage fiscal decentralization corresponding to expanding tax sources in basic local governments, and should examine the introduction of the autonomous police system as a city of one million people.

In particular, after introducing special autonomous entities, a worldwide trend seen in the United States, Europe, and Japan, he added that for the metropolitan administration of Sansu-hwa (Osan, Suwon, and Hwaseong), Suwon's long-cherished project, the introduction of special autonomous entities included in the comprehensive Local Autonomy Act revision should be actively considered.

In the discussion, opinions were presented by Moon Byung-gi, chairman of the Korean Association for Local Autonomy; Park Byung-hee, chairman of the Korean Association for Local Finance; Han Chang-suk, chairman of the Suwon Residents' Autonomy Committee Council; Park Sang-woo, senior research fellow at the Suwon City Research Institute; and Lee Sang-beom, specialist committee member of the National Council of Mayors and Governors.