"Budget Complaints" Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Lee Jae-myung Says "Disaster Income Is a Matter of Will and Decision"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, advised Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, saying, "The issue with disaster relief payments is not a budget problem but the will and determination of the local leader."

Earlier, Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated, "Gyeonggi Province in the metropolitan area has a large revenue base and is distributing 100,000 won per person as disaster relief income, which is causing relative deprivation in other regions," and requested, "Please provide disaster relief payments from the national treasury to non-metropolitan areas with poor financial conditions to balance the situation."

In response, Governor Lee questioned, "It is true that Gyeongbuk's regional economy is worse than Gyeonggi's, but is its financial situation also poor?" and advised, "We need to consider whether the inability to provide basic disaster income is due to budget issues or a matter of will."

He added, "Financial independence refers only to the ratio of self-generated revenue within the available budget and is not directly related to financial capacity," pointing out, "In 2021, Gyeongbuk's per capita budget was 3.95 million won, which is double Gyeonggi's 2.091 million won."

Governor Lee further explained, "The central government sets the standard for local necessary expenses and excludes Gyeonggi, which has a large self-generated revenue, while supporting only Gyeongbuk with the shortfall to cover necessary expenses," adding, "This means that even if a local area is poor, it does not necessarily mean the local government's finances are poor."

He also emphasized, "To provide 100,000 won per resident, Gyeonggi must reduce 5% of its per capita budget, whereas Gyeongbuk only needs to reduce 2.5%. Among the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi, Pocheon City, which has a low financial independence ratio, paid 600,000 won when other cities and counties paid 50,000 to 100,000 won, showing that disaster relief payments are a matter of will, not budget."

Governor Lee particularly stressed again, "Budgets are always insufficient," and stated, "Looking at support cases in Gyeonggi, Incheon, Pocheon, and dozens of other places, whether to provide disaster relief funds or choose selective universal payments is not a matter of budget size or financial independence but a matter of residents' will and the local leader's determination."