Resident autonomy councils will relaunch in Seodaemun District, Seoul. It is the first time in four years since operations were halted in 2022.
Seodaemun District said it will publicly recruit resident autonomy council Commissioners from the 6th of this month to the 7th of next month ahead of launching councils in all 14 neighborhoods in November.
The district revised the "local government ordinance on the establishment and operation of the Seodaemun District resident autonomy council of the Seoul Metropolitan Government" on the 29th of last month to set up a system for forming and operating the councils.
The fixed number of resident autonomy council Commissioners will be around 50 per neighborhood, but must not exceed 0.2% of the neighborhood's population. At least 70% of Commissioners will be selected through public recruitment, and less than 30% will be selected through recommendations.
Residents who are at least 18 years old as of the 6th of this month, the announcement date, and who are registered in the neighborhood may apply. Foreign nationals with permanent residency, employees of business sites located in the neighborhood, and members of schools, institutions, and organizations in the neighborhood may also participate.
Applicants must complete at least four hours of education on the resident autonomy system and the role of Commissioners. The district plans to make the final selection of Commissioners through a public drawing in October.
Selected Commissioners will carry out activities for two years from November this year to Oct. 2028, including identifying local agendas, drafting autonomy plans, holding resident general meetings, and proposing resident participation budgets.
Park Un-gi, the Seodaemun District chief, said, "Rebuilding resident autonomy goes beyond restoring a system and is about returning to residents the power to directly decide the future of their community."