Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun: "Special Cases Act Must Establish Administrative System Befitting Special Status Cities"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Special Status City Mayor Lee Jae-jun emphasized that "through the enactment of the Special Status Cities Act, we must establish an administrative system befitting special status cities that can resolve the reverse discrimination they face."

At the 'National Assembly Policy Forum for Enactment of Special Status Cities Act' held on the 22nd at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, jointly organized by the Korean Special Status Cities Mayors Council and the National Conference of Major Cities Research Institutes, Mayor Lee stated, "As a result of your ten years of effort, four special status cities were launched last January, but they still lack the authority commensurate with the name of special status cities," and noted "there are no fiscal special provisions, and administrative special provisions are merely 'special in appearance.'"

He continued, "The four special status cities must unite and secure authority for special status cities," and said, "Special status cities should not be for special status cities alone, but should become special status cities that coexist with areas at risk of decline and contribute to national development."

The forum was attended by Suwon Special Status City Mayor Lee Jae-jun, mayors of the four special status cities (Yongin, Goyang, and Changwon), National Assembly members, and city council members.

The forum proceeded with welcome remarks from the four special status city mayors, a keynote presentation from the National Conference of Major Cities Research Institutes, and panel discussions. Kim Soon-eun, former chairperson of the Decentralization Committee, chaired the forum.

Hyun Seung-hyun, head of the Local Governance Research Division at the Yongin Policy Research Institute, who presented on the topic of "Necessity of Special Status Cities Support Act and Draft Legislation," stated, "We must establish legal grounds for constructing the operational foundation for special status cities," and said, "To realize local decentralization and secure special status authority, the enactment of the 'Special Status Cities Support Act' is necessary."

As design directions for the Special Status Cities Support Act, the following were presented: △clarification of purpose and target △securing comprehensive special status authority △granting administrative and fiscal special provisions.