Changwon Mayor Hong Nampyo Visits National Assembly, Struggles to Secure Next Year's National Budget

Meeting with Ruling and Opposition Budget Committee Members for Final Push to Secure Next Year's National Budget

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, is visiting the National Assembly and striving hard to secure national funding for next year.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Song Jong-gu] Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, is visiting the National Assembly and striving hard to secure national funding for next year.

On the 16th, Mayor Hong visited the National Assembly again to make a final push to secure national funding for major projects in the coming year.

This visit to the National Assembly was a move reflecting his determination to secure even one more project budget during the final stage of budget formulation, the National Assembly budget review. He met sequentially with Lee Cheol-gyu, the spokesperson of the National Assembly Budget Committee from the People Power Party, Park Jeong from the Democratic Party, and other Budget Subcommittee members from both ruling and opposition parties including Jeong Jeomsik, Kim Dugwan, and Jeong Heeyong, to repeatedly request securing next year’s government budget for major projects.

The main proposed projects include ▲ fostering AI and big data-based advanced medical and bio device manufacturing industry ▲ establishing next-generation advanced complex beam irradiation facilities ▲ support projects for smooth landing in special industrial crisis response areas ▲ construction of the 3rd columbarium at Changwon Municipal Sangbok Park ▲ preliminary research for urban air mobility (UAM) regional pilot project ▲ construction of Changwon BRT ▲ improvement of Changwon Seomasan IC entrance and exit roads ▲ Hapjeong 1 District urban regeneration New Deal project ▲ installation of sewage pipelines in Daesan-dong town ▲ establishment of future advanced air mobility (AAM) complex research center ▲ support for advanced equipment-robot digital manufacturing innovation ▲ establishment of Gyeongnam Nuclear Industry Comprehensive Support Center, totaling 14 projects with a total project cost of 657.8 billion KRW (national funding 537.3 billion KRW), and requested an increase of 26.2 billion KRW in national funding needed for 2023.

Among these, the projects that Changwon City is focusing on to secure future new growth engines are fostering AI and big data-based advanced medical and bio device manufacturing industry and establishing next-generation advanced complex beam irradiation facilities.

So far, Mayor Hong has frequently visited the Ministry of Economy and Finance and central government departments to continuously request support for the city’s major projects. Since July, starting with the ‘Joint Meeting for Securing National Funding Inviting Members of the National Assembly,’ he has met with Park Dae-chul, Chairman of the Planning and Finance Committee, Seong Il-jong, Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, Kim Jeong-jae, spokesperson of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Lee Joo-hwan, Lee In-seon, Kim Jeong-jae, and Jang Dong-hyuk, members of the Budget Committee, explaining the necessity of reflecting national funding and requesting their interest and cooperation, proactively responding to the National Assembly budget review.

Mayor Hong said, “Since national funding projects serve as a catalyst for regional development and economic revitalization, I explained the necessity of the projects persuasively so that they can be reflected in next year’s government budget. I will concentrate all administrative power until the final stage of passing the National Assembly Budget Committee to secure the budget.”