Yongsan-gu, 2021 Resident Participation Budget Proposal Project Submission

Next Year's Resident Participation Budget Set at 3 Billion Won... Applications Accepted via Website and Email Until April 24

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) is accepting applications for resident-proposed projects to prepare the 2021 main budget.

The scale of next year's resident participatory budget in the district is 3 billion KRW (2 billion KRW for general projects, 1 billion KRW for dong representative projects). General projects can be allocated up to 300 million KRW per project (70 million KRW for event-type projects), and dong representative projects can be allocated up to 150 million KRW per project.

Residents who wish to participate (including local workers) can submit their opinions by April 24 on the district website’s budget participation section under "Please use Yongsan-gu budget like this."

Applications can also be submitted by mail (8th floor, Planning and Budget Division, 150 Noksapyeong-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) or via the responsible officer’s email.

Forms can be downloaded from the budget participation section.

The district will select projects through departmental review (May), resident participatory budget committee evaluation (June to July), and resident general meetings (August). The final budget proposal, including the resident participatory budget, is expected to be finalized through the district council’s regular session in December.

The district has newly organized the Resident Participatory Budget Committee, consisting of 48 members with 3 from each dong. They will work in four subcommittees: ▲Administration and Economy ▲Health and Welfare ▲Urban Parks ▲Safety and Construction, with a one-year term from March 2020 to February 2021.

A district official said, “Various people including women and persons with disabilities are participating as resident participatory budget committee members,” adding, “Once the COVID-19 situation ends, we will operate a budget school to help members gain expertise.”

Separate from the Resident Participatory Budget Committee, ‘Regional Meetings’ are also operated by dong. They are responsible for discovering local issues and selecting dong representative projects.

This year, the district’s resident participatory budget projects total 46 (30 general projects and 16 dong representative projects). Last year, 108 proposals were received from residents, and the details were finalized through procedures such as resident general meetings.

Major projects include ▲Establishment of an electronic tag (RFID) system at Yongam Children’s English Library ▲Maintenance of Solbat Children’s Park ▲Installation of odor backflow prevention devices in rainwater drains ▲Installation of pedestrian-centered eco-friendly stairs (Wonhyo 1-dong) ▲Installation of speed warning signs for safe school routes (Ichon 1-dong), among others.

Yongsan District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “The resident participatory budget is a system that directly reflects projects desired by residents in district administration to ensure transparency in financial management and fairness in resource allocation,” and added, “We ask residents to freely submit small ideas for inconveniences felt in daily life and for better living neighborhoods.”