The council keeps the right of self-governing legislation to enact or abolish municipal ordinances, the right of self-governing finance to review, approve and confirm the budget plans, the right of control over the execution through the supervision and investigation of the administrative activities, the rights to receive the petition from citizens and other rights granted by the applicable laws and ordinances.

• Standing as the representative organization

  The council consists of members elected by the citizens and keeps the right as the representative organization to review and approve important affairs of the local government. In the indirect participating politics by the representative system in which representatives participate in the administration, instead of the citizens' direct participation, the organization which represents citizens’ opinion. The council undertakes the function.

• Standing as the legislative organ

  The council also keeps the right as the legislative organ. The standing as the said organ means that the council performs the function to finally approve the agenda of local bodies. That is, the council reviews the general policy directions such as residents' burden, enactment of municipal ordinances and operation of local bodies. Execution of the matters approved by the council is undertaken by the local government, and in the view that the organ has the right to finalize the policy of local bodies, its function is different from that of advisory institutions.

• Standing as the legislature

  The council keeps the standing to enact the ordinances, the laws of local bodies and take charge of the relative functions. That the council exercises the right of legislation is the very fundamental function. Although the right is also given to the governor of local body, it is indeed established by the entrustment of the ordinance enacted by the council.

• Standing as the supervisor

  The council is the organ to supervise hether legitimate and reasonable administration is carried out or not. It is also disputed that the function undertaken by the council is not the essential function of the council but the auxiliary function to legislate, but it is commonly agreed that the latter is more reasonably grounded. The council keeps various rights to execute the said functions. The rights of the council are justified by the local government related statutes such as the Local Government Act and the Local Finance Act. Classifying the rights in view of formalities, there are the rights of resolution, supervision, autonomy, election, treatment of petition, expression of official opinion and the request of data and report.

• Right of Resolution

  The right of resolution is the right to approve the agenda of local body or the council itself. By the right, the municipal ordinances are enacted or abolished, and otherwise, the budget plans and settlement may be reviewed, confirmed and approved, and as such, the council is duly granted to review and resolve the matters relating to the council's rights and important policies. The scope of the nationwide local councils for the right adopts the limited enumeration, which means that any other matters unspecified in the statutes or ordinances are not included in the object to the council's resolution.

• The resolutions by the local councils may be divided as folows

  1. 10 resolutions granted by para.1, article 35 of the Local Government Law

  2. Matters requiring the resolution of a local council by the local government's statutes or other acts

  3. Matters requiring the resolution of a local council by the local government's ordinance

• Right to supervise the administration

  The council as a representative organ of the residents, keeps the right to supervise and control the administrative functions of local bodies. The right of supervision and control of the council is embodied by the right to supervise and investigate the local administration. And, the council also undertakes the function by means of the request for the presence and answer of the directors and the related officials, request for data and request for reporting.

• Right of autonomy

  The right means that regarding the organization and operation of a council, the organ has the right to self-govern with no interference of external organs such as the central government or other execution organs.

• The rights of autonomy of the council can be as follows

  1. Right of enactment of assembly rules,

  2. Right of determination of opening/closing sessions

  3. Right of keeping the order

  4. Right of punishing a member and screening the qualification,

  5. Right of non-confidence resolution against the chairperson and vice-chairperson, and

  6. Right of being internally organized.

• Right to vote

  The council may often determine the agenda depending on the results of election. Among the rights to vote, it is mainly divided into the right to vote for the internal members of the council and the right to vote granted by the statutes besides the Local Government Law and the ordinances of local bodies. In case the council exercises the right to appoint, for instance, one of the rights may be the appointment of a member(s) of settlement committee(article 125, the Local Government Law). In addition, it may be recommended if the governor of a local body asks to recommend a eligible person in appointing a member of kinds of committees, in accordance with the statutes or ordinances.

• Right to treat petitions

  The council, as the representative organ of the residents, has the right to receive a petition submitted from a resident with the introduction of 1 or more members and treat it.

• Right to express opinion

  The council, as the representative organ of the residents, has the right to expressly suggest the opinions to the local government, central government, other local bodies or other public groups in the interests of the organ. The right to express opinion may be the supplementary and additional right for the right of resolution and supervision.

• Right to request the submission of documentation(data)

  The council also has the right to ask a related governor of local body to submit the documentation relating to the audit, investigation and review of agenda in order to facilitate the supervision and review of the execution organ's administration (article 35 (2), the Local Government Law). The request to submit document from the council should be executed at least 3 days prior to the date of submission (① of Article 15, the Enforcement Ordinance of the Local Government Law) The Head-officer who was asked to submit should respond to the request if not it is possible to be fined.

• Right to request the submission of document

  The general assembly of the council or the committees may ask the governors or related officials to question the matters of administration or review of agenda (②, article 37 of the Local Government Law) And, even though the council is closed or in recess, it places the system of 'questions in writing' to ask questions for the local administration and receive the answers.