New permits division established, sweeping three-point reform plan launched
Yeoncheon-gun announced Wednesday that it established a new Permits Division on Oct. 26, consolidating previously scattered licensing functions — covering construction, development activities, farmland and forestland — into a single unit, and launched a sweeping three-point administrative reform plan aimed at delivering faster, more transparent public services.
The reform package was designed to ease the financial and time burdens on residents and to establish a systematic follow-up management framework for illegal activities.
The first measure introduces a full-scale service in which county staff directly prepare building-status diagrams on behalf of residents seeking changes to building registry records. Previously, applicants had to go through private architectural firms, incurring costs and procedural delays.
The second measure introduces a support service for applications to temporarily use farmland for other purposes. Given the high barriers posed by complex paperwork and procedures, designated staff will actively assist residents in completing application forms, significantly cutting processing times.
The third measure establishes a post-management system by registering sites where illegal development has been detected in a "flagged parcel" database. Through an amendment to the county planning ordinance, the system will carry legal force, logging offending parcels in a history-tracking registry to prevent repeat violations at the same location and ensure transparent oversight.
Lee Seung-yun, head of the Permits Division, said the three-point reform plan "will serve as an opportunity to deliver tangible benefits that residents can feel in their daily lives, while at the same time realizing trustworthy administration through strict and transparent follow-up management." Lee added that the county would "continue to pursue field-centered administrative improvements going forward."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
