The Jeonnam Gwangju City Council is set to amend the 'Special Law for the Establishment of Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City.'
The council has identified 82 improvement tasks, including changing the abbreviation from 'Gwangju Special City' to 'Jeonnam Gwangju Special City' and clarifying the obligation of national financial support.
On September 28, the city council held a mid-report meeting on the discovery of improvement tasks for the integrated special law at the Jeonnam Government Office, sharing results from various committees.
The aim is to strengthen the autonomy of the special city council and the special city by identifying exceptions that were not included during the establishment of the integrated special law or that have become necessary since the integration.
The Planning and Finance Committee proposed changing the abbreviation to 'Jeonnam Gwangju Special City' to reflect the spirit of integration and mutual respect, eliminating misunderstandings related to 'Jeonnam's sense of alienation' or 'absorption integration.'
The Administrative and Fire Safety Committee suggested renaming the current government offices from 'Jeonnam Eastern Office, Muan Office, Gwangju Office' to 'Jeonnam Eastern Office, Jeonnam Office, Gwangju Office.' They argued that maintaining 'Gwangju Office' while designating the former Jeonnam Provincial Office as 'Muan Office' is inconsistent with fairness and the purpose of integration.
In the financial sector, there were calls to clarify the obligation of national financial support. The proposal includes changing the discretionary nature of national financial support in budget support exceptions to an obligation, establishing grounds for additional general and special grants, and tailored administrative and financial support.
The government's commitment to provide '20 trillion won over four years' will be specified as a net increase in budget, excluding existing statutory grants and national subsidies, and the Minister of Planning and Budget will be required to consult with the special mayor when preparing related budgets.
This aims to prevent existing budgets from being included in the 20 trillion won figure.
There were also suggestions to revise regulations supporting the development of advanced industries, changing the current provision that the government 'may' provide administrative and financial support to 'must' prioritize such support, thereby strengthening the regulatory framework.
Additionally, it was proposed that the special mayor be allowed to designate and operate metropolitan bus routes connecting major living areas and hubs.
Grounds for establishing an integrated fare and transfer system among existing public transportation means, including metropolitan buses, city buses, and rural buses, were also included, along with the need for national financial support for the introduction of metropolitan buses and the establishment of an integrated fare and transfer system.
Routes connecting industrial complexes, airports, railway stations, and medical institutions will be prioritized for support. As administrative boundaries have disappeared, the actual movement areas for residents have expanded, necessitating the integrated management of routes, fares, and transfer systems.
The executive branch has identified a total of 436 items, including 28 additional clauses and 408 revisions.
The city council plans to form a joint task force (TF) involving the executive branch, Jeonnam Gwangju Research Institute, and legal experts to draft the amendment.
Following this, the city council aims to propose a complete revision of the special law in December after obtaining council approval and consulting with the government support committee in early November.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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