A Study on the Enactment of the Local Council Act to Strengthen the Authority and Independence of Local Councils

This study aims to examine the necessity and implementation strategies for enacting the Local Council Act to expand the authority and strengthen the independence of local councils. While local autonomy serves as a cornerstone of democracy and functions as a core governance system closely tied to residents' daily lives, local councils remain limited in their roles and functions. They continue to be institutionally and financially subordinate to the executive branch. In particular, local councils lack substantial independence in terms of organization, personnel, and budgeting. Structural limitations persist in the autonomy of administrative offices, the effectiveness of personnel authority, the scale and role of policy support staff, and the ability to lead the budgeting process. Consequently, there is an urgent need for the enactment of a separate Local Council Act to enhance the status of local councils and enable them to function as independent policy-making entities. This study first explores the historical and policy background for the enactment of the Local Council Act and establishes the following legislative directions: (1) expanding the autonomy of council operations, (2) enhancing the professionalism of local council members, (3) institutionalizing policy support structures, and (4) ensuring ethics and accountability. It also analyzes previously proposed bills and identifies core legislative tasks such as securing independent personnel authority, ensuring budgetary autonomy, and promoting self-governance in council operations. Furthermore, strategic approaches to realizing the enactment are presented, including building cooperative frameworks with the central government, initiating legislation through the National Assembly, utilizing the Central-Local Government Cooperation Council, and fostering public consensus through hearings and opinion-gathering processes. Through this analysis, the study concludes that securing substantial authority for local councils is not merely a matter of institutional reform but a critical step toward realizing the essence of decentralized governance. It is expected to offer academic foundations and policy implications for future legislative efforts concerning the Local Council Act.