12th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Opens with 167 Seats; Democratic Party Secures All Leadership Positions

[Anchor]

The 12th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, the largest local council in the country with 167 seats, has officially opened. The Democratic Party of Korea, having secured nearly 80 percent of the seats, has taken all three leadership positions.

Reporter Choi Ho-won has the story.

[Reporter]

The 12th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly held its opening ceremony on July 7 and began its official legislative activities.

Following the local elections held last month, the number of seats in the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly increased by 11 from the previous 156 to 167.

This change reflects factors such as population growth, making it the largest assembly in the nation, surpassing the Seoul Metropolitan Council, which has 118 seats.

[Nam Jong-seop / Speaker of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party): Our 12th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly will boldly support good policies, while correcting insufficient ones through clear alternatives and principled checks and balances.]

While the Democratic Party and the People Power Party held an equal number of seats in the 11th assembly, the Democratic Party now holds 144 seats in the 12th assembly, accounting for approximately 86 percent of the total.

Nam Jong-seop of the Democratic Party was elected as the Speaker for the first half of the two-year term, while Ko Eun-jung and Kim Mi-sook, also from the same party, were elected as Vice Speakers.

Members of the People Power Party expressed their opposition.

[Bang Seong-hwan / Representative of the People Power Party in the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly: It is a long-standing practice in our politics, including the National Assembly, for the opposition party to hold the position of the First Vice Speaker. However, in the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly today, such customs, principles, and trust are being ignored.]

Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae mentioned the province's financial situation, which carries over 7 trillion won in debt, and requested the cooperation of the provincial assembly.

[Choo Mi-ae / Gyeonggi Governor: Even at this very moment, massive interest is accumulating, and the speed of debt growth is very fast. We are at a point where we must resolve this.]

In a meeting with the leadership, Governor Choo also mentioned the possibility of a supplementary budget reduction, which would involve halting some provincial projects to save funds. Speaker Nam expressed a cautious stance, stating, "We cannot simply stop everything unconditionally."

The Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly plans to form a task force soon to find solutions to the province's financial difficulties.

Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-suk, who also attended the opening ceremony, emphasized policies such as the "Phone-Free School" and Gyeonggi-style cultural, artistic, and physical education activities, known as RAS, and requested the interest and advice of the assembly members.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.