Ulsan City to Renew Push for Labor Policy, Audit and Integrity Committees; Restructuring Plan Issued for Legislative Notice

Renewed push to establish collegiate administrative bodies after city council called for revisions

Civil Complaints and Labor Safety Inspection divisions to be established; workforce to increase by 42

Ulsan City is moving ahead with an organizational restructuring to strengthen the independence of its audit function and workers' participation in policymaking, while improving public safety and the efficiency of civil complaint administration. It is also renewing plans to establish a Labor Policy Committee and an Audit and Integrity Committee, whose proposals were sent back for revision during the city council's review in July.

Ulsan City said it will announce a legislative notice on Oct. 30 for its "Second-Half 2026 Organizational Restructuring Plan," which aims to realize citizen sovereignty and strengthen guarantees of citizens' basic living standards.

The restructuring is being pursued in line with three main goals: building an administrative framework based on communication and participation, strengthening functions that guarantee citizens' basic living standards, and enhancing the city's capacity to respond to future industries and metropolitan cooperation.

First, as part of a reorganization of the administrative system to realize citizen sovereignty, the city will again pursue the establishment of an Audit and Integrity Committee and a Labor Policy Committee. The city has addressed the issue raised during the city council's review in July regarding the failure to submit an ordinance on the operation of collegiate administrative bodies. Ulsan City has completed the relevant preliminary procedures, including issuing legislative notices for the operating ordinances of both committees in August.

The city plans to strengthen the independence and expertise of its audit function through the Audit and Integrity Committee, and to establish an open and democratic system of municipal administration by expanding workers' participation in policymaking through the Labor Policy Committee.

The city will also reorganize its civil complaint administration system to advance the "120 Civil Complaint Center," the first approval item of the Ninth Popularly Elected Administration. It will establish a Civil Complaints Division to provide one-stop service, allowing residents to file complaints and check the results in one place. The city plans to reduce inconvenience caused by departments passing complaints to one another and repeatedly requesting documents, while strengthening specialized administrative services for different types of complaints.

The city will also bolster its field-oriented organization to guarantee citizens' basic living standards. It will expand the organization and staffing of the Waterworks Headquarters to repair aging water pipelines, and strengthen the environmental investigation functions of the Health and Environment Research Institute. It also plans to separate testing functions for drinking water and wastewater to improve its capacity to monitor environmental accidents and ensure the stability of testing work.

To reliably exercise local labor inspection authority following amendments to the law, the city will establish a Labor Safety Inspection Division within its Citizen Safety Office. The aim is to reduce gaps in labor inspection coverage at small businesses and strengthen workplace safety and the protection of workers' rights and interests.

The city will also expand its response framework for future industries and metropolitan cooperation. To advance the industrial artificial intelligence transformation (AX), a key priority of the Ninth Popularly Elected Administration, and foster future strategic industries, it will enhance the functions of the AI Industry Strategy Division. It will also establish a dedicated organization for the second phase of the Namsinhang Energy Hub development project. These measures are intended to ensure the systematic implementation of the entire process, from drawing up project plans to operating public-private consultative bodies.

In addition, the city will begin operating the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Economic Alliance Promotion Headquarters, a temporary Grade 3 organization, in February 2027. It will pursue the development of metropolitan infrastructure and mutually beneficial growth among Ulsan, Busan and South Gyeongsang Province in the areas of industry, population, transportation and the environment. The city also plans to respond proactively to the government's policies on cooperation across metropolitan areas.

If the city council approves the organizational restructuring plan, Ulsan City's organization will change from 16 bureaus, 65 divisions and one collegiate administrative body to 17 bureaus, 64 divisions and three collegiate administrative bodies. Its total authorized workforce will also increase by 42, from 3,515 to 3,557.

A Ulsan City official said, "This organizational restructuring focuses on realizing citizen sovereignty, expanding citizen participation, and guaranteeing public safety and fundamental rights. We will improve the effectiveness of our organizational operations so that we can achieve the goals of the Ninth Popularly Elected Administration, based on close communication and cooperation with the city council."

Ulsan City Hall

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