The 9th elected administration launches with a plan to activate residents' autonomy councils, with all 14 dong in the district expected to have councils in place in the second half of this year.
Seodaemun-gu is moving to restore its residents' autonomy councils as part of an effort to realize grassroots self-governance built on community participation.
District Mayor Park Un-gi signed off on a "Plan to Activate Residents' Autonomy Councils" at 9 a.m. Wednesday in his office — the first day of his term.
The document, designated the first official act of the 9th elected administration, signals an active push to build a "resident-centered district government" in which community members take part in policy and budget processes.
Under the plan, residents' autonomy councils are expected to be established in all 14 dong across Seodaemun-gu in the second half of this year.
Residents' autonomy councils are community organizations set up at the eup, myeon and dong administrative level to promote grassroots self-governance and civic engagement.
They play a central role in helping residents address local issues on their own terms — drawing up self-governance plans through open discussion, deliberation and democratic decision-making, and convening general assemblies of residents.
In Seodaemun-gu, residents' autonomy councils were first launched in five dong in 2018 as a Seoul Metropolitan Government pilot project, then expanded to nine dong in 2020. Operations were suspended in November 2022, however, when council members' terms expired.
The district hopes that reconstituting the councils under the 9th elected administration will give resident-led community activities a fresh start and reinvigorate neighborhood life.
Council members will be selected through a fair and transparent process: open recruitment, education to build understanding of and capacity for the residents' autonomy system through a residents' autonomy school, and a public lottery among those who complete the education.
The district also plans to overhaul the institutional framework governing the councils. This includes amending the local ordinance on the establishment and operation of residents' autonomy councils in Seodaemun-gu — incorporating revisions to the Local Autonomy Act that gave the councils a legal basis, as well as the Ministry of Interior and Safety's model ordinance on residents' autonomy councils.
As part of broader efforts to strengthen the self-governance foundation through which residents identify and resolve local issues, the district also plans to provide administrative and fiscal support, including activity allowances for council secretaries.
"Residents' autonomy councils are the core foundation of grassroots self-governance, where residents directly discuss and resolve issues in their communities," Park said. "Through the full restoration and normalization of residents' autonomy councils, we will build a Seodaemun where residents are truly in charge."
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