Republic of Korea Special Metropolitan Cities Mayors Council Holds 2nd Regular Meeting of 2023

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] The Republic of Korea Special Metropolitan Cities Mayors Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council) will hold its 2nd regular meeting at the Suwon Convention Center on the 21st.

The meeting will be attended by Chair Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang, as well as Lee Jae-jun, Mayor of Suwon, Hong Nam-pyo, Mayor of Changwon, Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, and the four special metropolitan city mayors, along with approximately 40 civil servants from relevant departments and divisions.

The meeting will discuss ways to secure authority commensurate with the capacity of special metropolitan cities, including △prompt deliberation of special affairs by the Committee for the Era of Local Autonomy, △legislation of the Third Comprehensive Decentralization Act, and △promotion of a mutual cooperation agreement ceremony between the Special Metropolitan Cities Mayors Council and the Population Decline Regions Council. Throughout the process, special metropolitan cities have been raising their voices that they need special authorities to support the administrative demands of major cities with populations exceeding one million.

On July 10th, the government expressed its commitment to implementing a "local era where people can live well anywhere in the Republic of Korea" in line with the enforcement of the Special Act on Local Autonomy Decentralization and Regional Balanced Development.

Accordingly, the Council plans to strengthen the capacity of local governments by being granted sufficient financial resources and substantial authority, and will accelerate efforts to secure authority for the benefit of citizens.

Additionally, the Council plans to hold a meeting between the four special metropolitan city mayors and the chair of the Committee for the Era of Local Autonomy on the 23rd to deliver a petition calling for strengthened support functions for special metropolitan cities by the Committee for the Era of Local Autonomy and urging the enactment of the Third Comprehensive Decentralization Act.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea Special Metropolitan Cities Mayors Council was launched on April 23, 2021, to promote mutual solidarity and enhanced cooperation among special metropolitan cities and to handle common affairs. It is composed of the mayors of Suwon, Goyang, and Changwon special metropolitan cities, including Goyang Special Metropolitan City, which is a major city with a population exceeding one million.