Blue House, gov't and ruling party agree to revise local gov't act to boost autonomy

The Blue house, government officials and ruling party lawmakers agreed to grant more power to local governments to boost their autonomy and accountability.Speaking to reporters after their meeting on Thursday morning, the ruling party's chief policy maker Cho Jeong-sik said that the three sides agreed to revamp the local autonomy act to decentralize power and increase citizens' sovereignty.The revision will allow citizens to submit bills directly to local councils.It will also make it easier for residents to request for an audit, by extending the request period to 3 years from the current two years, and lowering the age requirement from 19 to 18 years old.The three sides also agreed to make public the activities of local governments and to create a citizens' ethics committee to improve transparency.