"Substantive Independence Must Be Guaranteed": Shinan County Council Calls for Greater Autonomy for Local Councils

Call for enactment of a Local Council Act and greater autonomy in organizational and staffing management
Present five institutional reforms, including expansion of specialized policy support personnel

Shinan County Council has called for institutional reforms to strengthen the substantive autonomy and independence of local councils.

On the 19th, members of the Shinan County Council called for stronger autonomy for local councils. Provided by the Shinan County Council.

On October 19, the council announced a resolution urging improvements to laws and systems related to local councils and greater autonomy in organizational management, in order to achieve mature local self-government.

The resolution was prepared in line with the joint response of the National Council of Chairpersons of City, County and District Councils of Korea. It aims to strengthen the institutional foundation so that local councils, as representative bodies of residents, can perform their essential oversight and monitoring functions on the basis of independence and expertise.

The council stressed that the limitations of the current system must be addressed and the autonomy and expertise of local councils enhanced to ensure effective oversight of local governments and respond proactively to the increasingly diverse administrative needs of local communities.

It called on the National Assembly and the government to improve laws and systems to strengthen the independence and accountability of local councils, and to expand their autonomy in managing their organizations and staffing levels. It also urged them to expand policy support personnel and legislative support systems to strengthen policy, legislative, and budget review capabilities, and to reinforce policy consultation mechanisms that recognize local councils as representative institutions for residents.

The council also stated that decentralization and the substantive independence of local councils should be pursued as key national priorities. It stressed that for local self-government to take root in practice, local councils, like local governments, must have independent authority over their organizations, personnel, and policy support systems.

Lee Sangju, chair of Shinan County Council, said, "Strengthening the substantive independence of local councils is a key task for the development of local self-government. We will work closely with local councils across the country to coordinate our response until the relevant institutional reforms are implemented."

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