Local Gov`t Officials Declared to `Boycott National Investigation`

The government officials of the local governments including Seoul city clarified their decision to boycott the National Investigation by the National Assembly started from Sep. 10, defining that ``the investigation illegally focused on the exclusive business of the local government, which the law does not regulate.``

The government officials conference of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Planning and Budget showed an organized protest against the National Investigation, requesting for ``the immediate suspension of the National Assembly`s request for the enormous materials, which interrupt tremendously the regular job of administration.``

However, the National Assembly decided to drive on the investigation ignoring the protests of the local and central government. It seems that the conflicts between the National Assembly and the local government officials are inescapable.

The Development Institute of the Government Officials Conference (JeonGongRyon) held a press conference yesterday, asserting that ``90 percent of the materials that have been requested by the National Assembly is related to the exclusive business of the local government that are not supposed to be included in the National Investigation by the law.``

JeonGongRyon distributed ``the official letters to the local offices that the local branches shall block the investigation offices if the National Assembly make clear that it will not interrupt the regular business of the local government by attempt to investigate the exclusive business of the local government.``

The National Investigation on Kyongnam and Chonnam province government by the National Administration and Home Affairs Committee of the National Assembly is scheduled on Sep. 11.

According to the law of the National Investigation and Audit, the exclusive business of the local government except for the entrusted business by the central government is not the object of the National investigation. And the local autonomy law regulates even the entrusted business by the central government is not an object of the investigation if the local government does not receive the subsidies of the central government. However, since the general definition is not backed up by detail regulations, the chaotic situation has been brought about.

Lee Dae-Ho, the spokesperson of JeonGongRyon asserted ``the local governments have wasted their energies to prepare for 5 investigations by local congresses, the National Assembly, and so forth, every year. The heads of the local government are afraid of bothering the investigators because the politicians hold the power for public nomination.``

The Seoul city government officials conference said that ``only 6.3 percent of the materials that has been requested by the National Assembly`s Environment and Labor Committee, and 9 percent of the materials requested by the National Administration and Home Affairs Committee are related with the mandated business by the central government. The rest of them are part of the exclusive business of the local government.``

Chung Ho-Young, the expert advisor of the NA`s Operation Committee, said that the investigation on the local government by the National Assembly is absolutely legal. However, the secretary teams of the standing committees will respond the protests of the local government officials with flexibility.

Yoon Soon-Chul, the director of the local autonomy bureau of the Citizen`s Coalition for Economic Justice, ``the protests of the local government officials reflect that the localization of the government is not quite well settled yet. A working group negotiation for the selection and request for the materials between the local government and the National Assembly may be recommended.``

Jung Yeon-Wook jyw11@donga.com