Yeongcheon City Council approves four lawmaker research groups for 2026

The Yeongcheon City Council in North Gyeongsang Province held a screening committee for lawmaker research groups Monday, approving the registration and research activity plans of four groups.

The four approved groups are: a senior health and welfare service improvement research group led by lawmaker Jo Sang-im; a research group on designating the Wansandong ancient tomb cluster in Yeongcheon as a historic site, led by lawmaker Choi Sun-rye; a research group on institutional innovation and self-reliance models for community enterprises, led by lawmaker Kim Sang-ho; and a research group on improving the household waste collection and transport system, led by lawmaker Kwon Ki-han.

The groups will focus on identifying policy solutions to pressing local issues in areas closely tied to residents' daily lives, including welfare, cultural heritage, the local economy and the living environment.

Their work will cover assessing how elderly residents use health and welfare services and their satisfaction levels to develop tailored welfare policies. It will also examine the historical and archaeological significance of the Wansandong tomb cluster to explore the feasibility of a historic-site designation and ways to link heritage preservation with local development.

The groups also plan to identify sustainable self-reliance and growth models for community enterprises suited to the city's characteristics, along with institutional support measures. They will analyze the current operation and shortcomings of the household waste collection and transport system to propose improvements that ensure an efficient collection framework and the safety of sanitation workers.

The four research groups will carry out a range of activities through December — including policy research commissions, field investigations, stakeholder consultations and reviews of best practices — before presenting concrete policy recommendations applicable to Yeongcheon's conditions.

Council Speaker Ha Gi-tae said he hopes the groups' work will produce effective policy alternatives addressing issues that directly affect residents' lives. "The council will actively support efforts to ensure that the research outcomes translate into policy and institutional improvements that advance Yeongcheon's development and enhance the quality of life for its citizens," he said.