The gist of administrative system autonomy… ‘Full revision of Sejong City law’ accelerator pedal

People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon recently announced ‘complete relocation of the National Assembly to Sejong City’ as a general election pledge, and the pace is accelerating the preparation of a comprehensive revision of the Sejong City Act to complete the administrative capital of Sejong City.

Sejong City announced on the 28th that it will propose a ‘complete revision of the Sejong City Act’ within the year to secure the status of administrative capital and strengthen administrative and financial special provisions. The amendment to the Sejong City Act aims to secure autonomy in the administrative system, including the establishment of autonomous districts. The city plans to complete research on the necessity and direction of comprehensive revision of the Sejong City Act in the first half of this year and begin consultations with related ministries.

The current Sejong City Act contains only the minimum regulations for establishing the city, and there is a lack of legal basis for strengthening the administrative capital function and self-sufficiency function. There are also significant differences in the related laws of other special cities and provinces. The number of articles in the Sejong City Act is 30, and it contains only the minimum regulations for establishing the city. There are 481 condolences related to Jeju Island and 84 condolences to Gangwon Province. As a result, it is pointed out that there is an urgent need for law revision to solidify the institutional foundation as the administrative capital.

The revised bill will contain regulations on securing the status of the administrative capital, reinforcing the functions of special self-governing cities such as special provisions, and strengthening the competitiveness of the city. Sejong City plans to prepare special provisions to secure its status as an administrative capital and strengthen its special character by clearly defining the basis for the establishment of constitutional institutions such as legislation, judiciary, and administration by article. In Sejong City, the second presidential office is scheduled to be built in 2027, and the Sejong National Assembly Building is scheduled to be built in 2031. However, in order to become a central city (administrative capital) for government administration, the construction of the ‘Sejong Regional and Administrative Court’ and the relocation of additional public institutions are required.

In the revised bill, the city can highlight its strengths and specialties from a future strategic perspective, such as fostering cutting-edge future industries such as quantum industry and MICE, and creating a regulation-free city, Korean culture city, and garden city in order to strengthen self-sufficiency and city competitiveness. We hope that various special provisions will be included.

In addition, we will actively work to secure autonomy in the administrative system, including the establishment of districts, and secure sustainable finances. This is to strengthen the functions of the Special Self-Governing City. Considering the uniqueness of the single-tier administrative system, the city has received an additional 25% of the financial shortfall from the ordinary grant tax since the enactment of the Sejong City Act. The special fiscal period was originally until last year, but was extended by three years until 2026. An additional grant tax and grant worth about 250 billion won was obtained. However, there are voices inside and outside the city that this is only a temporary measure.

At the second workshop held at City Hall on this day, the city discussed specifying the provisions of the comprehensive revision of the Sejong City Act. She intensively discussed the general outline of the amendments, including the expulsion, preamble, and bill system, and also held an interim report on the research service launched in October last year. This is to verify the objectivity and validity of the special case. The city plans to continue to prepare forums and discussions to secure the status of the administrative capital, including constitutional amendments and complete revision of the Sejong City Act.

Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho said, “We will strive to build consensus and create an atmosphere for the revision of the Sejong City Act, including collecting citizens’ opinions,” and added, “We will prepare provisions to achieve the purpose of building Sejong City, which is balanced national development and strengthening national competitiveness, to shape the future of the Republic of Korea.” “We will play a role as a leading administrative capital,” he said.

Sejong = Reporter Kang Eun-seon [email protected]

[ⓒ 세계일보 & Segye.com, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]