Jeonbuk Provincial Council to Add Four Seats

Ahead of the launch of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province in July, a political reform bill to increase the number of provincial council seats in the Jeonbuk region by four passed the National Assembly's plenary session early on the 18th. Of the four newly added seats, Gunsan and Iksan will each gain one local constituency council member, and the number of proportional representation council members will also increase by two. Consequently, the 13th Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Provincial Council will consist of a total of 44 members, including 38 local constituency members and 6 proportional representation members.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Council expressed its welcome regarding the expansion of council seats by four, stating it will "enable the council to respond to the surge in demand for autonomous legislation following the launch of Jeonbuk's self-governing province."

To ensure smooth legislative activities, the Jeonbuk Provincial Council plans to pursue follow-up measures such as revising autonomous regulations, reorganizing standing committees, building infrastructure and IT systems, and expanding policy support and administrative personnel.

Provincial Council Speaker Moon Seung-woo said, "The foundation for strengthening regional representation and realizing autonomous decentralization has been expanded," and added, "As much as the increased seats, we will listen more closely to voices from the ground and repay the citizens with tangible policies that change their lives."