Interior ministry to brief local officials on resident participation rules

The interior ministry said Monday it will hold a workshop for local government officials in charge of resident participation programs on Sept. 29 at the Government Complex Sejong, sharing the contents of pending legislation and collecting complaints from the officials who run the systems.

The workshop is meant to widen opportunities for residents to take part directly in solving local issues, share policy direction between the central and local governments, and seek ways to develop the systems, the ministry said.

Outside experts will open the session with a policy briefing on how resident ordinance initiatives, resident recalls and resident votes currently operate and where they should be improved. Participants will then discuss ways to invigorate participation.

A second session will introduce examples of local governments running online participation services through the ministry's Jumin e-Jikjeop platform, which handles resident petitions and proposals. Officials will also report difficulties they face in operating the online services and what needs to change.

The ministry said it will share in advance the main contents of amendments to the Resident Recall Act and the Resident Ordinance Initiative Act that are moving through the legislature this year, so that local governments can study the changes and prepare for them.

"Resident participation systems are a core foundation that lets residents take part directly in the important decisions of their regions," said Jin Myeong-gi, head of the ministry's local autonomy innovation office. "Through this workshop we will listen to opinions from the field and share good practices so that resident participation can become more active."