Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the National Assembly on the 12th and said, "I propose a constitutional amendment that includes a comprehensive restructuring of the state to delegate all domestic governance authority to local governments." He introduced a national development model centered on 'decentralized governance' and joined the ruling party's discussion on 'constitutional reform.' Oh, a potential leader of the ruling party, is poised to expand his influence.
On that day, Mayor Oh hosted a discussion on 'Decentralized Constitutional Reform to Overcome the 1987 Regime' at the National Assembly library. As the ruling party has indicated plans to prepare its own constitutional amendment proposals since the beginning of the year, he proposed a 'national reconstruction project' that combines constitutional reform and national development models. Attending the discussion were Kwon Young-se, chairman of the guiding committee of the People Power Party, and Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader, along with more than 30 members, including senior party members and first-term and second-term legislators.
At the event, Mayor Oh introduced his vision for 'decentralized governance reform.' The core idea is to dismantle the centralized state system to significantly transfer authority to local governments to overcome the 1987 constitutional regime. He emphasized that presidential authority should be limited to diplomacy, security, and defense, while all domestic governance powers should be delegated to local governments. He argued that local governments should autonomously exercise the three main powers of budget, personnel, and regulations, and that the central government should redefine its role as a supporting facilitator. He stated that bold decentralization is necessary to transfer legislative, administrative, and even budgetary revenue and expenditure powers to local governments. He stressed that if decentralization is achieved, the national economy could experience a quantum leap.
Mayor Oh said, "Only the powers related to diplomacy, security, and defense should remain with the president, and all powers regarding domestic governance should be boldly delegated to expanded local governments," adding that the current ratio of national tax to local government tax, which is 7 to 3, should be decisively adjusted to 5 to 5 or more in favor of local governments. "We should also grant local governments the authority to train, allocate, and deploy human resources," he stated.
He also proposed the 'Five Strong Nations Project' based on decentralization. The idea is to divide the entire nation, including the metropolitan area, into five super-regional economic zones and develop them into economic hubs equipped with global competitiveness while highlighting each region's uniqueness. Mayor Oh remarked, "Our national income has stagnated around $35,000 for almost a decade, but if we adopt the Singapore model regionally and enter a competitive state, we can create a new momentum for growth similar to 10% annual growth in the 1980s from this system change." He added that alongside 'decentralization,' discussions should also address mutual checks between the cabinet and the National Assembly, adjustments to the presidential term, and a prime ministerial responsibility system.
The party's leadership also expressed support for the 'decentralized constitutional reform' proposal. Kwon, the chairman of the emergency response committee, stated, "The 1987 regime has a centralized structure, which raises doubts about whether it can accommodate the changes of the times and has received various criticisms." He noted, "We need to face the 1987 regime and boldly turn the paradigm around," adding that "(decentralized constitutional reform) could be both a means of overcoming crises and a new growth engine for South Korea."
Kwon, the floor leader, introduced Mayor Oh as a "beloved friend" as he began his congratulatory remarks. He stated, "Decentralization is necessary to enable autonomous governance that reflects regional uniqueness and the demands of local residents," and added, "I hope that the parts of the system where central and local governments mutually check one another can be discussed well to produce a proposal that the public can accept."
The People Power Party is raising the discussion on 'constitutional reform' by forming a special committee and predicting the preparation of its own proposal. Mayor Oh is interpreted to have officially stepped into the presidential race by proposing a 'decentralized constitutional reform' that combines decentralization and national growth models on that day.
In response, Mayor Oh stated, "The framework of today's constitutional amendment is a refined version of what I presented at the political science conference discussions starting last August," and added, "It is undesirable to link constitutional discussions with the presidential race."
However, he noted regarding the possibility of a presidential election being held early, "It is not too late to discuss an early presidential election after the Constitutional Court reaches a conclusion on the (impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol)."