The Seoul city government will operate a regulatory discovery system year-round, including a screening panel composed of citizens, specialized organizations, and experts. This initiative aims to uncover unreasonable regulations every day of the year, breaking away from the previously limited operational period.
On the 20th, Seoul announced the 'Regulatory Innovation 365 Project.' This comes just 50 days after the launch of the first dedicated organizational unit at the Director General level among local governments nationwide.
The goal of this project is to bring about effective changes that citizens and corporations can feel in their daily lives. The core strategies include ▲ establishing a demand-driven, year-round regulatory discovery system ▲ consideration of citizen perceptibility for reviews and systematic management ▲ securing policy continuity through the establishment of an institutional foundation ▲ strengthening cooperation with relevant organizations for regulatory innovation.
First, a regulatory discovery system will be established that directly involves citizens and specialized professional organizations and will operate year-round. Starting in September, a regulatory discovery group composed of 200 citizens will be initiated. Their suggestions will be reviewed by relevant departments and experts, and feasible proposals will be swiftly incorporated into policy. Additionally, a 'professional organization regulatory innovation hotline' for constant feedback will also be established.
The solutions for the regulatory improvement tasks identified will be developed through a three-step process. Experts from the Seoul Regulatory Innovation Planning Office and Seoul Institute will identify the urgency, importance, and impact of the tasks to concretize the agenda, followed by discussions (step 2) with relevant departments and stakeholders of the Seoul city regarding the necessity of maintaining or abolishing the regulation. Afterward, a specialized regulatory advisory screening group led by the Director General will review the regulatory improvement proposals.
Seoul will also strengthen the legal and institutional foundation to support regulatory innovation. This aims to ensure sustainability rather than one-time measures. A 'Seoul-style livelihood regulation sandbox' will be introduced for industries that play a key role in economic growth, such as new industries and the civilian economy, to implement flexible and experimental measures in regulations. To this end, the ordinance for the establishment and operation of the Regulatory Reform Committee will be expanded and restructured as the 'Basic Ordinance for Regulatory Reform of Seoul Special City' to clearly reflect the key contents.
Additionally, a 'Seoul-style regulatory innovation checklist' will be developed containing specific review criteria and manuals for improving unreasonable regulations. The checklist is planned to be used for preliminary evaluations and reviews regarding the necessity of maintaining regulations, cost-effectiveness, administrative burdens, and more.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "Lifting regulations will revive corporations, private investment, and jobs," and added, "We will develop regulatory innovation into a virtuous cycle model that leads to practical changes in the lives of citizens and the development of Seoul by applying it to the Seoul administration 365 days a year."