Min Hyeong-bae, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for mayor of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Special Integrated City, addresses supporters at his campaign office in Maryk-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, on Tuesday after his election appeared all but certain. [Yonhap]
Min Hyeong-bae, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for mayor of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Special Integrated City, addresses supporters at his campaign office in Maryk-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, on Tuesday after his election appeared all but certain. [Yonhap]

Lawmakers-elect to the South Jeolla-Gwangju Special Integrated City Assembly will hold their first official meeting Monday in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, to begin laying the groundwork for the new assembly's launch.

The gathering will focus on key decisions about the operational framework and organizational structure of the integrated special city assembly, which is set to launch July 1.

The most pressing item on the agenda is the venue for the assembly's inaugural session.

The integrated special city assembly must convene its first extraordinary session at 7 a.m. on July 1 and complete the election of a speaker, the setting of the legislative calendar, and the passage of essential ordinances by 8:30 a.m.

The assembly must approve the mandatory integration ordinances so that the South Jeolla-Gwangju Special Integrated City can formally launch without delay through a promulgation and enforcement process scheduled for 9 a.m. the same day.

Accordingly, lawmakers-elect must decide early whether to hold the inaugural plenary session at the Gwangju City Council chamber or the South Jeolla Provincial Assembly hall, so that electronic voting systems, broadcasting and audio equipment, and procedural arrangements can all be checked in advance.

Monday's meeting will also take up the procedures for electing the inaugural assembly's speaker and two deputy speakers.

Key variables include how to balance representation between Gwangju and South Jeolla lawmakers, whether to prioritize members with multiple consecutive terms, and how to allocate the posts among political parties.

The restructuring of standing committees is another central issue.

The South Jeolla Provincial Assembly currently operates eight committees, while the Gwangju City Council has six.

The meeting is expected to chart a course for reorganizing the committee structure in a way that preserves existing expertise and continuity as much as possible, in keeping with the integration principles of strengthened autonomy and balanced development.

A proposal to establish a 14-committee structure is expected to be put forward as the leading option under review.

The overhaul of local autonomous regulations is also expected to emerge as a contentious issue.

Launching the integrated special city will require a sweeping revision of local ordinances — 56 bills proposed by assembly members, 480 submitted by the mayor and 97 by the superintendent of education.

Officials are reviewing a plan to bundle the repeal of existing Gwangju and South Jeolla ordinances with the passage of the mandatory integration ordinances in a single legislative action.

Any matters left unresolved at Monday's preliminary meeting will be carried over for further discussion ahead of the formal opening on July 1.


sij@heraldcorp.com