Initiative supports 9th-term elected officials with pre-consultation and immunity guidance; new applications jumped 9.7-fold after earlier central agency sessions
The Board of Audit and Inspection is launching a nationwide tour of regional forums to help local governments pursue proactive administration and address policy implementation challenges on the ground.
The board said it will hold six rounds of "Regional Forums on Proactive Administration for Local Governments," beginning in Daejeon on Wednesday and running through Dec. 23. The schedule continues with Incheon on Nov. 17, Ulsan on Dec. 8, Busan on Dec. 18, Seoul on Dec. 22 and Daegu on Dec. 23.
The forums target deputy heads and senior officials of both metropolitan and basic local governments, and are designed to support successful policy implementation by 9th-term elected administrations. The board plans to introduce key proactive administration support systems operated by the government and the board itself, including pre-consultation services, immunity from audit liability for proactive decisions, a commendation program for exemplary cases, proactive administration committees and designated protection officers.
The board will also provide tailored on-site advice on pre-consultation requests and audit-related difficulties submitted in advance by local governments, and will share recent notable pre-consultation cases to give officials a clearer sense of how the system works.
The board said it will work alongside local governments to overcome the various obstacles they face in pursuing policies and projects for residents. For issues raised at the forums that require further review, officials will be guided through the formal pre-consultation process so that practical solutions can be found together.
Attention is turning to whether the positive results seen at earlier central agency forums will carry over to local governments. According to the board, new pre-consultation applications jumped 9.7-fold after it held forums for central administrative agencies (two sessions) and public institutions (five sessions) between June and August this year — rising from 20 cases (7 from central agencies, 13 from public institutions) in the January–May period to 193 cases (76 from central agencies, 117 from public institutions) between June and October. The board said it expects the tour to significantly boost local governments' use of proactive administration support systems.
"We will take the lead in raising public officials' understanding of and access to proactive administration support systems, so that a foundation can be built across the public sector where officials can pursue proactive administration with confidence," the board said. "We will continue our efforts to operate and improve proactive administration support systems that meet the on-the-ground needs of local governments."
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
