Korea Special Status City Mayors' Conference to Submit Bill Proposal on Support for Special Status Cities to Ministry of Interior and Safety

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jeong Jun-sung] The Korea Special Status City Mayors' Conference will submit a 'Bill Proposal Urging Enactment of Special Law on Support for Special Status Cities' to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

The five special status city mayors, including Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun, who serves as the chairperson, signed the proposal at the '2025 First Half Regular Meeting of the Korea Special Status City Mayors' Conference' held on the 12th at the Marina Clubhouse in Jeongok Port, Hwaseong City (Changwon City represented by Acting Mayor). The Special Status City Mayors' Conference plans to submit the proposal to the Minister of the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

In the proposal, the Special Status City Mayors' Conference urged the enactment of a 'Special Law on Support for Special Status Cities' containing the following provisions: △Securing the legal status of special status cities △Financial incentives commensurate with expanded administrative functions of special status cities △Substantive transfer of administrative affairs to special status cities.

First, the conference requested an amendment to Article 2, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2 of the 'Local Autonomy Act' to explicitly designate 'special status cities' as 'Special Status Cities, Cities, Counties, and Districts' as a distinct type of independent local autonomous entities, distinguished from 'Cities, Counties, and Districts.'

The conference also proposed establishing a substantive foundation for financial support by increasing the adjusted transfer payment fund allocation rate (47%→67%) and raising the revenue sharing transfer payment rate (3%→10%).

Additionally, the conference requested that effective administrative affairs be actively identified and transferred beyond the 57 administrative affairs currently requested by special status cities, to enable effective responses to sophisticated administrative demands.

The Special Status City Mayors' Conference emphasized: "The current 'Local Autonomy Act' and related laws provide special status cities only with a name but lack substantive transfer of authority and administrative and financial support, creating limitations in securing the effectiveness of the special status city system. For special status cities to realize resident-centered autonomous administration and lead regional development, legal status recognition and financial and institutional support must necessarily be accompanied."

The regular meeting on that day commenced with opening remarks from Mayor Lee Jae-jun and the five special status city mayors, followed by current affairs reports, agenda handling and discussions, and signing of the proposal. Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun, Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il, Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan, Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun, and Changwon Mayor Acting Delegate Jang Geum-yong attended.

The Special Status City Mayors' Conference plans to hold a meeting with the National Assembly's Committee on Administration and Safety to request cooperation for the enactment of the special law on support for special status cities.

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun stated: "When the 'Special Law on Support for Special Status Cities' submitted by the government to the National Assembly in December last year passes promptly and the bill includes 'securing legal status' and 'financial incentives,' genuine change in the lives of 5.5 million special status city residents will be possible. We will make every effort until a true special status city system is completed."