제1공화국 시기 지방자치법 개정의 배경과 목적: 1956년 제2차 지방자치법 개정을 중심으로

Abstract

Implement of the local self-government was postponed by the demand of President Syngman Rhee. Syngman Rhee demanded appointment system at the selection of mayor of a city or town and headman of a village on the condition of implement of the local self-government. Under the trouble with the National Assembly, the local autonomy act was legislated in 1949. But the local election wasn't implemented due to the Korean War. In 1952, with the Pusan Political Crisis just ahead, the first election of the local council was suddenly implemented. At this election, the ruling party took up about 60% of the seats and the independent members took up about 40% of the seats. The first local council members were mostly regarded as pro-government group. But they were also analyzed that they had a critical opinion without considering the party register. The first local council could exercise non-confidence resolution against a local government head. The government insisted that the local self-government had problems because the local council abused non-confidence resolution. This insistence of the government was based on the revision of local autonomy act. Frequent resignations of local government heads arose from fraudulent acts by the local government head, not from abuse of non-confidence resolution. The government brought up a problem of abuse of non-confidence resolution in order to curtail the authority of the local council. The government committed direct violence and pressure when the local council didn't obey the intention of the government. In some cases, the executive members of the Liberal Party went down to provinces, and then interfered the selection of the local government head. The Police also forced the local council members to elect specific candidate by committing violence. After all, the Syngman Rhee regime implemented the second revision of local autonomy act in February 1956 which contained elimination of non-confidence resolution, so that authority of local council was highly reduced and the local government heads were subordinate to the government more intensively.