Korea Special Metropolitan City Mayors Council Unanimously Elects Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, as Chairman

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Mayors of four special metropolitan cities including Suwon, Yongin, Goyang, and Changwon held a "Regular Meeting of the Korea Special Metropolitan City Mayors Council" on the afternoon of the 18th at the Convention Hall of Yongin City Hall and unanimously elected Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin Special Metropolitan City, as chairman.

The meeting was attended by Mayor Lee Sang-il, Lee Jae-jun, Special Metropolitan City Mayor of Suwon, Lee Dong-hwan, Special Metropolitan City Mayor of Goyang, Hong Nam-pyo, Special Metropolitan City Mayor of Changwon, and approximately 40 department heads and officials from the four cities.

This is the first time mayors of the four special metropolitan cities have gathered together since the launch of the 8th popularly elected term.

Prior to the meeting, the mayors of the four special metropolitan cities unanimously elected Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, as chairman of the Regular Meeting of the Korea Special Metropolitan City Mayors Council.
Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang, assumed the position of auditor.

At the meeting presided over by Mayor Lee Sang-il, the mayors of the four special metropolitan cities agreed on the legal limitations that, despite major cities with populations exceeding one million being granted the designation of "special metropolitan city" through the comprehensive revision of the Local Autonomy Act on January 13, their status remains that of general basic local governments, making it difficult to secure extensive administrative and fiscal authority.

They reached consensus that it is necessary to enact a "Special Statute for Special Metropolitan Cities" and to "establish support organizations for special metropolitan cities" to secure substantial authority.

To enact the special statute for special metropolitan cities, the research institutes of the four special metropolitan cities will first conduct "basic research on the enactment of a special statute for supporting special metropolitan cities."

The research will be conducted in a direction to verify the necessity and basis for supporting special metropolitan cities and to validate the rationale for securing authority by analyzing domestic and international cases.

The "establishment of support organizations for special metropolitan cities" was discussed through an active proposal by Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin. The key element is to establish a network among central ministries, the National Assembly, and provincial governments for follow-up support for transferred special affairs or for enacting and amending ordinances to secure additional authority.

The mayor proposed to the four special metropolitan city mayors a plan to newly establish a support organization directly under the Office of the Prime Minister for securing authority at a faster pace, and the mayors agreed to actively push forward with the proposal.

Lee Sang-il, Special Metropolitan City Mayor of Yongin, stated, "I feel a grave sense of responsibility at being elected chairman, and I believe there is nothing we cannot accomplish when we four special metropolitan city mayors pool our wisdom and strength," and added, "I will do my best to persuade central ministries and the legislative branch to secure authority commensurate with the name and status of special metropolitan cities."

Lee Jae-jun, Special Metropolitan City Mayor of Suwon, said, "The common point among the four special metropolitan cities is that they have set 'economic revitalization' as their most important goal," and stressed, "Since securing fiscal authority, which is the most critical element for realizing economically special metropolitan cities, must be prioritized, let us work together."