Four Special-Status City Mayors Request Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun to Support Securing Administrative Authority

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Four special-status city mayors, led by Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, met with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Choi Jae-sung, the presidential chief of staff at the Blue House, on the 31st and proposed that "active support be provided so that special-status cities can secure substantial administrative authority."

Mayor Yeom and Changwon Mayor Heo Sung-moo, Goyang Mayor Lee Jae-joon, and Yongin Mayor Baek Kun-gi met with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at the Government Seoul Building that morning and delivered a "proposal regarding support for securing special-status city administrative authority."

The proposed items include ▲establishing institutional foundations for substantive transfer of special-status city administrative authority ▲supporting the composition of a pan-government dedicated task force for special-status city initiatives ▲attendance at the launching ceremony of the National Special-Status City Mayors Council. The National Special-Status City Mayors Council will hold its launching ceremony at 3 p.m. on April 23 at Changwon Convention Center.

The mayors of the four cities stated, "Basic local governments are suffering disadvantages due to a uniform administrative system," and requested that "active support be provided so that special-status cities can be established as a new decentralized governance model."

They continued, "In order for each local government to conduct affairs comprehensively and autonomously, transfer of affairs centered on users reflecting regional conditions and urban characteristics should be implemented based on principles of subsidiarity and comprehensive distribution. They proposed that "procedures be established where the central government and local governments can jointly participate to discuss the scope and methods of transferring affairs."

The four city mayors moved to the Blue House after meeting with Prime Minister Chung and met with Chief Presidential Staff Choi Jae-sung, proposing the same matters.

In response, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated, "I sympathize with the proposals from the four special-status city mayors," and promised active cooperation and support.

Mayor Yeom Tae-young emphasized, "We must provide field- and user-centered administrative and welfare services to local residents that reflect regional conditions and urban characteristics," and "In order for each local government to respond proactively to social issues such as COVID-19, the central government must recognize the diversity of basic local governments and actively support them."