The National Assembly Research Service (Chief Lee Kwan-hu) held a seminar on January 29 at 1:00 p.m. in the NARS Conference Room and Seminar Room 1 under the theme of “Future Strategies for a Major Transition in Resident Autonomy and the Advancement of Local Councils.”

The seminar was co-hosted by the Korean Association of Local Council Studies, the Korean Association for National Community Autonomy, and the Metropolitan and Provincial Council Chairs Association of Korea. It was organized to comprehensively discuss the roles of local councils and regional political parties in responding to the crisis of regional extinction ahead of the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections coming up in June.

The NARS assessed that although local councils are key institutions tasked with responding to national crises such as regional extinction, low birth rates, and population aging, they have failed to fully perform their roles due to an asymmetrical relationship with local governments and their limited legislative autonomy. Accordingly, the seminar was organized to explore legislative and institutional alternatives that would enable local councils not only to check and monitor executive bodies, but also to represent the will of local residents as representative bodies, establish more horizontal relationships with local governments so that they can independently carry out their specific duties.

In Part I, four themed panels were held. In Panel 1, under the theme of “Issues and Strategies for Enacting the Local Council Act,” academic experts and members of local councils discussed the necessity and direction of enacting the Local Council Act. Panel 2 addressed the theme of “Activating a Korean-Style Fourth Sector to Respond to the Crisis of Regional Extinction,” discussing response measures through a hybrid fourth-sector model that integrates the public sector, private enterprises, and civil society. In Panel 3, participants explored ways to overcome regional crises through community-based local cultural initiatives closely connected to everyday life under the theme of “Local Culture that Coexists with the Community,”. Panel 4, on “Reform of the Regional Party System and Innovation in Election Management,” discussed directions for institutional reform measures aimed at promoting competition within local councils and identifying region-specific policy agendas.

Part II, titled “Grand Forum on Innovation in Resident Autonomy,” was moderated by Professor Jeon Young-pyung of Daegu University, with Jeon Sang-jik, President of the Korean Association for National Community Autonomy, delivering the keynote presentation. Chief Lee Kwan-hu Lee of the NARS, President Yoon Jong-bin of the Korean Political Science Association, President Lee Jae-hyeon of the Korean Regional Political Science Association, President Lee Hyang-soo of the Korean Association for Local Government Studies, President Jang Woo-young of the Korean Association of Local Council Studies, and President Choi Byeong-deok of the Korean Political Science Society, participated as panelists. They engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on institutional improvement measures for achieving substantive resident autonomy beyond mere formal resident participation.