Democratic Party lawmakers demand reinstatement of Dalseong County Assembly committees

Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers representing Daegu have urged the immediate reinstatement of standing committees at the Dalseong County Assembly, pushing back against the body's decision to abolish them.

Local Democratic Party lawmakers from Daegu held a press conference Monday in front of the Dalseong County Assembly, condemning the decision to dissolve the standing committees and calling for amendments to the Local Autonomy Act.

"People Power Party members of the Dalseong County Assembly used their majority to abolish the standing committees," the lawmakers said, criticizing the move as "a unilateral decision made without sufficient consultation or deliberation."

They said standing committees are the bodies responsible for reviewing a 1.3 trillion won ($876 million) budget line by line and keeping the executive branch in check through administrative audits. "Abolishing them means minimizing the process of consultation and deliberation and simply rubber-stamping decisions," they said.

A Daegu chapter official of the Democratic Party of Korea urged PPP members of the Dalseong County Assembly to immediately reverse the decision and restore the committees without delay. The official also called on the National Assembly to amend the current Local Autonomy Act — which leaves the establishment of local council committees to each council's discretion — to make standing committees in local assemblies mandatory.