Actively Pushing for Enactment of 'Metropolitan City Special Measures Act'

Suwon City has decided to actively pursue the enactment of a Metropolitan City Special Measures Act through the Metropolitan Mayors Council in response to the city's growth to metropolitan-level scale, in order to ensure efficient administration and administrative services.

The city has also decided to review Suwon's elevation to metropolitan status or metropolitan expansion under a long-term plan.

On the 14th, the city made this statement in response to a city council inquiry about how to handle administrative services for a city that has grown to metropolitan scale during the second plenary session of the second regular session of the 244th Suwon City Council.

City Council Member Moon Jun-il (representing Gwonseon 1, 2 and Gokseon-dong) asked, "What are the city's efforts and current implementation progress to expand Suwon's metropolitan status and expand the application of metropolitan special measures, given the city's current population of 1.07 million as of November this year?"

Councilor Moon pointed out that "the city has failed to be granted authority for managing metropolitan cities, such as authority to establish master urban plans and authority to approve farmland conversion, which has emerged as a factor hindering regional development. Currently, the administrative burden per civil servant in Suwon is 431 residents, compared to 242 residents in Ulsan Metropolitan City, which has a similar population to Suwon, indicating poor administrative conditions."

Councilor Moon further questioned, "When the Gwanggyo New Town and Homa-sil residential development projects are completed, population increase and administrative demand will surge. What is Suwon City's response plan for this?"

Vice Mayor Seo Hyo-won, speaking on behalf of Mayor Kim Yong-seo, stated, "Despite Suwon City's population scale and urban conditions being at metropolitan-level, it is subject to the same treatment as general cities and counties," adding "it is a fact that the city's administrative affairs are not providing sufficient services to residents."

Vice Mayor Seo added, "Suwon's metropolitan expansion is absolutely necessary and must be pursued strongly," and stated, "Through the 'Metropolitan Mayors Council,' in which 11 cities with populations of 500,000 or more, including Suwon, are participating, we will advance the enactment of the Metropolitan City Special Measures Act and conduct research on the scope of recognition for metropolitan city special measures."

Regarding elevation to metropolitan status, Vice Mayor Seo answered, "Legislation that allows local governments above a certain scale to be elevated to metropolitan status must be enacted first," and noted, "Considering administrative system conditions among the central government, provinces, and basic local governments, this is deemed a matter to be pursued at the national level in the long term."