Administrative Exemptions Needed for Megacities with Population of 1 Million or More

Rep. Shim Jae-deok of the Democratic Open Party, a member of the National Assembly's Committee on Administration and Self-Governance, argued during the state audit of Gyeonggi Province on the 7th that administrative exemptions should be granted to megacities with populations reaching 1 million, including Suwon.

During the audit, Rep. Shim stated, "Unlike other provinces and metropolitan cities, Gyeonggi Province has many basic local government units that rank with metropolitan-level organizations with populations exceeding 1 million," and asked, "Administrative demands such as urban traffic congestion are rapidly increasing. What are Gyeonggi Province's measures to address this?"

He also noted, "The Local Autonomy Act allows for administrative and financial exemptions for large cities with populations of 500,000 or more," and questioned, "Is Gyeonggi Province prepared to transfer a substantial portion of its own authority to these cities?"

▲ On the 7th, the state audit of the National Assembly's Committee on Administration and Self-Governance is held at Gyeonggi Province Government Office. Rep. Shim Jae-deok of the Democratic Open Party is questioning Gov. Son Hak-kyu with a comparison table of the two cities of Suwon and Ulsan. ⓒ Kim Jin-seok

Rep. Shim pointed out, "Suwon City with a population of 1.03 million has less than half the civil servant positions of Ulsan Metropolitan City with a population of 1.07 million," and stated, "It is problematic to treat cities with populations of 1 million or more with the same standards as small-scale local governments, thereby restricting their autonomy."

In particular, Rep. Shim emphasized, "The important point is that residents pay substantial taxes but do not receive adequate administrative services," and added, "In order to provide administration that satisfies residents, changes in administrative units are necessary," raising the need for restructuring of administrative bodies.

In response, Gov. Son Hak-kyu answered, "We must seek ways that can handle rapidly increasing administrative demands in megacities and allow neighboring municipalities to help one another as well."

<Yeouido News=Reporter Kim Dong-hyun>