Changwon, a city in South Gyeongsang Province, will launch a phased implementation plan to take over 19 new special administrative functions and expand its autonomy following the promulgation of the Special Act on Support for Special Cities on Tuesday. The law takes effect on June 3, 2027, and the city plans to complete the transfer of authority from the provincial government and institutional reorganization by then.
According to Changwon City on Tuesday, special cities — which had previously seen only limited authority transfers based on amendments to individual laws — face a new turning point with the enactment of this special act. With the national-level support system and procedures for granting special authority now codified, the institutional stability and continuity of the system have been substantially reinforced.
The special act will take full effect on June 3, 2027, one year after its promulgation. The city plans to use the preparation period before the law's enforcement to complete the transfer of special functions and institutional reorganization, concentrating its administrative resources on a stable institutional rollout without administrative gaps.
The city will first begin formal handover procedures based on close cooperation with South Gyeongsang Province to fully take over authority for the 19 new functions, which had previously been carried out by the province. Through one-on-one working-level consultations between departments in charge of each transferred function, the city plans to comprehensively receive administrative know-how, data, and system access rights, securing practical job capabilities that can be applied immediately on the ground. The city also plans to preemptively organize matters requiring enactment or revision among autonomous regulations such as ordinances and rules related to the transferred functions.
In addition, the city plans to precisely analyze the effects of transferring the 19 new special functions through research by experts including the city policy research institute, and based on this, prepare measures to secure necessary personnel and budget while systematically promoting policy effects that citizens can experience.
When the special act takes full effect, Changwon will directly carry out 19 special functions in various fields including urban planning and architecture, industry and economy, and environment and safety. Complex administrative procedures will be shortened — including permits for large buildings of 51 stories or higher and independent approval of basic plans for apartment remodeling — accelerating large-scale development projects. The city is also expected to expand its own financial base for reinvestment in environmental improvement projects by securing the right to collect waste disposal charges and ecosystem conservation charges.
However, core authority in the financial and organizational areas necessary for special cities to secure full autonomy still remains a future task. Accordingly, the city plans to use the enactment of this special act as a stepping stone to supplement insufficient authority and concentrate administrative efforts on securing additional substantive special powers.
The city plans to continuously identify citizen-oriented financial and organizational special powers centered on relevant departments, and further strengthen its response logic so that proposed special powers can be reflected through policy reviews by the autonomous decentralization council composed of experts and the Changwon City Policy Research Institute. Furthermore, the city plans to actively respond to revisions of the special act for substantive expansion of authority in solidarity with the four special cities of Goyang, Suwon, Yongin, and Hwaseong.
"The promulgation of this special act is highly significant in that it has laid the institutional foundation for special cities to develop in a stable manner," said Jang Geum-yong, acting mayor of Changwon. "We will thoroughly prepare so that the 19 special functions lead to enhanced citizen convenience, and join forces with the four special cities to gradually secure substantive authority in the financial and organizational areas, building a complete special city that citizens can experience."
