'Yongin Special City' Begins Full Preparations One Year Before Launch

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Yongin City launched a full-scale initiative on the 13th to secure special authority rights ahead of the one-year mark until the launch of 'Yongin Special City'.

Following the promulgation on the 12th of the 'Full Revision of the Local Autonomy Act' that includes provisions for granting the special city designation to metropolises with a population of one million and recognizing special status, the Yongin Special City era will begin in earnest on January 13 next year.

However, the newly revised Local Autonomy Act does not contain specific special authority provisions, leaving the task of securing administrative and fiscal autonomous rights and discretionary authority.

In response, the city plans to make all-out efforts to discover concrete special administrative functions and transfer of authority before the law takes effect to become the core of Yongin Special City.

Since December last year when the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act passed, the city has been responding proactively by forming a 'Yongin Special City Launch Task Force Team'.

The task force, composed of 12 members including the Director of Autonomous Administration as chairman and team leaders from finance, organization, welfare, and external cooperation divisions as well as support staff, carries out tasks for realizing the special city by requesting related legislative amendments and developing policies in administrative and welfare sectors.

On this day, the task force conducted 'Special Administrative Function Discovery Training' with the theme 'Special City Reality and Our Tasks' for 18 department heads from various divisions, bureaus, and offices.

Additionally, the city will operate a '4-City Special City Launch Joint Task Force' together with cities of one million population including Goyang, Suwon, and Changwon, and will coordinate jointly.

The joint task force will have the director of each city's special city department as co-chairman, conduct regular discussions once a month, and continuously hold symposiums and meetings to gather various opinions and conduct public relations activities.

At the first meeting to be held at Suwon City Hall on the 19th, the task force plans to discuss the roadmaps of the four special cities, joint implementation methods, and future meeting schedules.

Yongin Mayor Baek Gyun-gi stated, "We will secure substantive authority so that it does not become 'sweet-looking but hollow' in name only as a special city, and will pave the way for 'Eco-Friendly Economic Self-Sufficient City Yongin'," and added, "We will concentrate all our capabilities for the successful launch of Yongin Special City."