Kim Gap-dong's Perspective On the Launch of the 9th Civilian-Elected Local Government

The four-year term of the 9th civilian-elected local government heads begins today.

Choo Mi-ae, Gyeonggi Governor, and 31 city and county mayors will hold their inauguration ceremonies today and begin full operations.

An Min-seok, Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education, will also officially take office as the 19th head of educational autonomy.

Local councils will also hold opening ceremonies and begin oversight and monitoring of the executive branch.

With everything making a fresh start, the expectations and hopes of Gyeonggi Province residents are higher than ever.

As is well known, the current issues facing Gyeonggi Province are by no means light matters.

Regional economic stagnation, low birth rates and aging populations, and class disparities are just a few of the common challenges for the 9th civilian-elected term.

With deteriorating local finances added to this, the next four years are shaping up to be difficult.

In the era of local autonomy, the role of local government is more important than ever.

Only by properly performing the proper functions of local self-governance can we contribute to the lives of ordinary citizens.

However, the reality is that our local self-governance has been far from this.

Swayed by central politics, dependent on central budgets, and absorbed in central policies, the very meaning of 'autonomy' has faded.

The 9th civilian-elected government is launching amid such circumstances. The responsibility is therefore all the greater.

What philosophy will the newly launched local government hold in leading municipal administration going forward?

This is directly related to the high interest and expectations of residents.

To meet these expectations, we must implement practical administration that concentrates administrative capacity on people's livelihoods and economic recovery.

We must also break away from showpiece administration and demonstrate a working local government.

We must present specific implementation plans for how to fulfill the commitments made to residents.

To do this, accurately diagnosing and redesigning regional realities must come before flashy terminology.

This is all the more important because the key to regional development is not how many projects are announced, but how consistently completion is improved through implementation.

The relationship between Gyeonggi Province and basic local governments must also be established differently from before.

Putting aside political considerations, only by leading Gyeonggi's autonomous development as a 'unified team' can we improve the completeness of 'pledges' promised to residents.

Many major development pledges made by Gyeonggi's basic government heads are difficult to promote with administrative capacity alone at the city and county level.

Urban planning at the provincial level, national funding support, and private cooperation structures must work together to create viability.

This is why the importance of the 'unified team' is demanded more than ever.

'Cooperative governance' between the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, basic councils, and each administrative branch is also important.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Council, which has become a historic 'ruling party majority,' must not overlook another challenge.

The fact that if 'taming' occurs while forgetting the function of oversight and monitoring, it can bring other adverse effects.

If the council maintains a 'honeymoon relationship' without constructive criticism and presenting alternatives to the executive branch, the damage inevitably falls on citizens.

In any case, the future of the region comes from administration that takes responsibility and completes tasks to the end.

When the council's monitoring function is added to this, the direction is also set correctly.

In the 9th civilian-elected term, we hope that all heads of organizations and councils in the province will accomplish these tasks.