Anyang City Receives 'Excellent' Rating for Two Consecutive Years in National Local Regulatory Innovation Assessment—Nationwide First

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Anyang City has received an "excellent" rating for two consecutive years—a nationwide first—in the Ministry of Public Administration and Security's "Local Regulatory Innovation Performance Assessment," further solidifying its position as a "city leading regulatory innovation."

The city ranked 1st among cities nationwide in the "2024 Local Regulatory Innovation Performance Assessment" and secured 400 million won in special transfer tax, it was announced on the 27th.

The city received a presidential commendation for its excellent rating in last year's performance assessment and was excluded from this year's commendation due to the prohibition period on repeated awards.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security awards commendations to outstanding local governments that have contributed to local regulatory innovation among 243 local governments nationwide, based on discovery of business and citizen-focused regulations, efforts and achievements in central regulatory improvement, and other factors.

The city has actively promoted regulatory innovation through running "On-site Regulatory Complaint Centers" to directly identify various field regulations, hosting regulatory improvement discussion forums to address central regulations that are difficult to resolve, and implementing multi-channel regulatory improvement strategies through continuous communication with businesses.

In particular, the city has been implementing a "regulatory burden-of-proof system" citywide that requires civil servants to directly substantiate the necessity of regulations and improve them when substantiation is difficult. It is also promoting improvements in "shadow regulations"—measures that function as regulations in practice despite not being explicitly regulatory.

Through these efforts, in December last year the city led revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods and Others and the Notification on Standards for Improper Indication and Advertisement of Foods and Others, enabling accurate labeling for foods with avoided ingredients such as caffeine-free and peanut-free products. This has reduced corporate burden while enhancing consumer health rights and choice.

Meanwhile, Mayor Choi Dae-ho held a handover ceremony on the morning of the 27th at the reception room on the third floor of City Hall, encouraging staff members.

Mayor Choi stated, "We have set a nationwide-first record of achieving the excellent rating for two consecutive years," and added, "Going forward, through diverse and bold incentives for civil servants, we will strengthen our position as a city leading regulatory innovation."