Democratic and Progressive Parties Call for Allocation of One Vice-Chair and Two Standing Committee Chairs to Opposition in Changwon City Council

"As a symbol of bipartisan cooperation, we request that one vice-chair position and two standing committee chairs be allocated to the opposition parties."

Ahead of the formation of the 5th Changwon Special City Council in Gyeongnam, members-elect from the Democratic Party of Korea and the Progressive Party made this request to the People Power Party, which holds a majority in the council.

On June 23, the newly elected representatives of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Party, whose terms begin on July 1, held a press conference at the City Hall press center, stating, "We would like to make an official proposal to the People Power Party for the formation of the council's leadership."

The 5th City Council consists of 45 members: 21 from the Democratic Party of Korea, 23 from the People Power Party, and 1 from the Progressive Party.

In terms of seat distribution, the People Power Party holds 51%, while the combined seats of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Party account for about 49%.

Successful candidates for the Changwon Special City Council from the Democratic Party of Korea and the Progressive Party are announcing the agreement on the composition of the 5th City Council's chairman group.
[Photo by Se-ryeong Lee]

The Democratic Party and Progressive Party members-elect stated, "We delivered the first and second rounds of proposals regarding the formation of the 5th council leadership to the People Power Party caucus, but the response and attitude from the People Power Party did not indicate a desire for bipartisanship."

They stressed that one vice-chair position and two standing committee chair positions among the Council Steering Committee, Planning and Administration Committee, Industry, Economy and Welfare Committee, Culture, Environment and City Committee, and Construction, Maritime and Agriculture Committee should be allocated to the opposition.

They said, "While the People Power Party, which has secured a majority of seats, would take the chair, we propose that the vice-chair and some standing committee chairs be given to the opposition to establish a basic framework of balance and cooperation within the council. If this proposal is accepted, we do not plan to recommend separate candidates for the chair or other standing committee positions."

They emphasized, "We ask the People Power Party to announce their final stance on the proposal by 1 p.m. on June 24," adding, "The structure of seats created by the citizens of Changwon is not intended for one-sided dominance, but rather for responsible governance through checks and balances."

They further stated, "If the People Power Party rejects the proposal and insists on monopolizing the leadership, the beginning of the 5th City Council will be recorded as a rejection of bipartisanship and a disregard for the will of the people. The responsibility will rest entirely with the People Power Party."

Floor leader Lee Uwan said, "Assuming the People Power Party takes the chair, and with four standing committees other than the Council Steering Committee each having 11 members, there will inevitably be two committees with a majority of opposition members. If the People Power Party does not cooperate in forming the leadership, it will affect Mayor Kang Kiyoon's administration."

He continued, "If we switch perspectives, regardless of which party is in the majority, it is reasonable for the majority party to hold the chair, while the 4-to-3 structure of distributing the vice-chair and some standing committee chairs to the opposition can be accepted. We are continuing normal negotiations with the People Power Party and will try to resolve this through dialogue until the end."

He added, "When we passed the ordinance on the formation and operation of negotiation groups in March, we agreed to promote bipartisanship in the 5th council. On July 1, the ordinance will be implemented for the first time, and we hope that bipartisanship will be realized in accordance with the ordinance."

Kim Inae, the Progressive Party member-elect, said, "Since the number of seats is almost evenly split, it is only logical that the leadership and standing committee chairs should be divided roughly equally. This is the balance created by the citizens, and we cannot stand by while it is broken."

The members-elect from both parties stated with one voice that if their demands are not met, "we will take every possible political action to uphold the will of the people of Changwon, who have established this system of checks and balances."

On July 1, the first day of the 5th council's term, the council will hold its 153rd special session and the first plenary session to elect the chair, vice-chair, and standing committee chairs.

Candidate registration for these positions began on June 22 and will close at 6 p.m. on June 26.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.