The Blue house, government officials and ruling party lawmakers agreed to grant more power to local governments to boost their autonomy and accountability.<br />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.<br />The revision will allow citizens to submit bills directly to local councils.<br />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.<br />The three sides also agreed to make public the activities of local governments and to create a citizens' ethics committee to improve transparency. <br />
