Busan Council Chair Mu-gil Kang Opens Dialogue to Strengthen Cooperation Amid Opposition Majority

[Financial News] The Busan Metropolitan Council is moving to strengthen cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties, led by its chair, amid a divided council in which the opposition holds the majority. It has decided to hold quarterly ruling-opposition cooperation meetings to hear all voices from both sides.
According to the Busan Metropolitan Council on the 15th, Chair Mu-gil Kang proposed holding regular ruling-opposition cooperation meetings to the lawmakers. Both floor leaders responded positively, leading to the decision to make the meetings a regular event.
The meetings were launched to establish a cooperation system amid the current divided council, with the aim of promoting residents’ welfare and accelerating Busan’s development.
Mu-gil Kang previously met with Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Gap-yong and other Democratic Party lawmakers, building consensus on holding regular ruling-opposition cooperation meetings. Kang and the Democratic Party lawmakers agreed to hold the first meeting soon.
The meetings are expected to be attended by the chair, the chair of the Steering Committee, the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, and Democratic Party lawmakers. They plan to exchange views on municipal administration and legislative issues and seek reasonable solutions.
During the 339th extraordinary session, the council had already led consultations on the municipal organizational restructuring plan and the first supplementary budget proposal of the ninth popularly elected administration by coordinating differences, led by the floor leaders of both parties. Immediately after the session ended, Chair Kang and Floor Leader Han met and agreed to strengthen citizen-centered legislative activities through “cooperation and mutual prosperity,” while remaining faithful to the council’s fundamental role of “checks and balances.”
The Busan Metropolitan Council expects the cooperation meetings to help it find reasonable alternatives to issues on which the ruling and opposition parties disagree, enabling a faster response to matters affecting residents’ welfare. In particular, it plans to address citizens’ concerns about the divided council.
Chair Kang said, “Regardless of their political parties, all members of the Busan Metropolitan Council share the view that they must put citizens’ interests first while overseeing and guiding the executive branch.” He added, “The ruling-opposition cooperation meetings will serve as a channel for mutual understanding and communication, and I also expect the competitiveness of the 10th Busan Metropolitan Council to improve through the power of cooperation.”
[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter