Provincial Assembly Chairs from 10 Cities and Provinces Unite on Local Assembly Law with National Assembly Speaker Jo Jung-sik

Nam Jong-seop, Chair of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party, Yongin District 3), who has been working to enact the Local Assembly Law, met with Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party, on the 4th, and then met with National Assembly Speaker Jo Jung-sik on the 6th to request support for enacting the Local Assembly Law by year-end.

Nam, who serves as chairman of the Council of Heads of Metropolitan and Provincial Assemblies, met with Speaker Jo and provincial assembly chairs from across the nation in the National Assembly reception room on that day to discuss major pending issues including the enactment of the Local Assembly Law, and proposed strengthening cooperation between the National Assembly and local assemblies.

The roundtable discussion was attended by 10 provincial assembly chairs from across the nation, including Nam; Cho Sung-chil (Daejeon); Kim Hee-soo (North Jeolla); Song Young-hun (Jeju); Park Jong-hyuk (Incheon); Lim Man-gyun (Seoul); Lee Sang-sik (North Chungcheong); An Shin-il (Sejong); Song Hyung-gon (South Jeolla and Gwangju); and Cho Chul-gi (South Chungcheong).

Nam said, "Now is the time to resolve the long-standing task of enacting the Local Assembly Law," and added, "I hope the National Assembly Speaker will give special support so that we can achieve results during this regular session."

In response, Speaker Jo stated, "Strengthening the authority and capacity of local assemblies is an important task that contributes not only to local autonomy but also to national development," and added, "I will propose to both ruling and opposition parties to ensure that the field's demands are reflected in the Local Assembly Law, and actively cooperate at the National Assembly level for enactment by year-end."

Additionally, Nam explained Gyeonggi Province's difficult financial situation and requested the National Assembly's attention to improving local finance conditions.

Meanwhile, on the 27th of last month, Nam held a "National Local Assembly Members Conference" with the participation of approximately 2,400 provincial and basic assembly members nationwide in front of the National Assembly building to urge the enactment of the Local Assembly Law by year-end.