Local government system must be revamped

Six years after the full-fledged enforcement of the local self-governing system, there are rising concerns that the system has failed. In the wake of a series of irregularities, irresponsible behavior by local administrations and moral hazard problems on the part of the chiefs of local governments, the people have begun to question whether the system is workable.

In November last year, a group of 42 lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties submitted to the National Assembly a revision of the Local Self-Government Law, calling for the appointment of local administrative chiefs by the central government.

This was not a demand for a return to the centralized government system, even though it is clear that the local autonomous system cannot continue in its current form. Drastic reforms are needed. Without overcoming mismanagement and eradicating systemic corruption involving local administrators, there is little hope that the self-governing system will ever function properly.

Among the irregularities committed by local government officials are bribe-taking in the course of interfering with profitable projects or in return for giving preferential treatment to those responsible for budget outlays. Another example is their reckless promotion of pork-barrel politics and advocacy of projects that will help their chances in elections.

Such things are a waste of budget funds and testify to the arbitrary nature and administrative incompetence of local governments. Moreover, the heads of local administrations recently raised the amount of their confidential budget by a maximum of 30 percent and typically grant tens of millions of won in subsidies to groups of retired local government officials every year.

The most intriguing question is why there seem to be so few mechanisms in place to check their wayward activities. And even where there are checks, they obviously do not function properly.

Furthermore, local councils that are empowered to monitor the administrative chiefs are not fully carrying out their duties. Councilors are suspected of colluding with administrators in connection with irregularities. This has led to the fact that nearly one-fifth of local administrators have faced criminal charges, thus creating an administrative vacuum.

In order to make up for these shortcomings, urgently needed are ways for local residents to more fully participate in local governments. Among the recommended means are the implementation of recall systems for delinquent local government chiefs and the adoption of referendums on key issues.

Noting the failure of a complicated new system that granted local residents the right to inspect their local governments, we recommend that the any new measures be comprehensive enough to preclude adverse side effects and prevent the repetition of past blunders.