Bae Sang-rok, Michuhol District Councillor: “Exclusion of Expertise in Urban Planning Review... Is it Reasonable for a Welfare Construction Committee Member to be Absent?”

Bae Sang-rok, a councillor from Michuhol District (Democratic Party, Dohwa 1·2·3, Juan 5·6), strongly criticised the lack of expertise in urban planning reviews and the absence of communication between departments, demanding a major overhaul of the administration to prevent budget waste.

During the report of the Welfare Construction Committee at the 293rd extraordinary session held on the 29th, Councillor Bae targeted the distorted composition of the Urban Planning Committee and the poor post-management of the vacant house maintenance project.

Regarding the composition of the Michuhol District Urban Planning Committee, Councillor Bae pointed out, “The standing committee responsible for overall urban planning, including district unit plans, is the Welfare Construction Committee, yet not a single member from the Welfare Construction Committee is included in the actual review committee.”

He stated, “It is natural for a doctor to conduct medical reviews and for a pharmacist to conduct pharmaceutical reviews, so it is absurd for members from other standing committees who do not specialise in urban planning to participate,” and added, “While they use the Ministry of the Interior and Safety guidelines or the conflict of interest law as a justification, isn’t this ultimately an intention to avoid difficult scrutiny and operate the committee in an administratively convenient manner?” He urged, “If there is no legal basis for punishment, immediately adjust the committee composition to match the expertise of the standing committee.”

He also expressed criticism regarding the lack of continuity in projects. Councillor Bae cited the Subong Village Together Village project and the vacant house maintenance project, stating, “It has become a repeated case where the maintenance department or the regeneration department spends the budget to demolish vacant houses and create vegetable gardens, only to dismantle and close the facilities after the project period ends.”

He remarked, “In the case of the vegetable garden near the Yeonhasa in Subong Park, despite high community support, it has ultimately turned into a dumping ground due to unclear management responsibilities,” and ordered, “Even if the maintenance department handles the environmental creation after the demolition of vacant houses, the subsequent management should be immediately transferred to the Parks and Greenery Department, which has the expertise, to ensure that residents can continuously use the facilities.”

Councillor Bae also recalled regarding the literary city development project, “In the past, irrational designs were made, such as turning the building layout to the opposite side of the road to save costs on soundproof walls,” and requested thorough supervision to ensure that the ongoing soundproof wall installation project near the highway proceeds without issues after the freezing period.

In response, a district official stated, “We will discuss the committee composition issue with the council again, and we will also review the transfer of responsibilities between departments, such as vegetable garden management, through discussions at the director level to ensure continuity.”