Nowon-gu, 2024 Budget Set at 1.3268 Trillion Won

Budget of 1.3268 trillion won set, an increase of 99 billion won (8.07%) from last year (general and special accounts)... 849.6 billion won (64.9% of total budget) allocated to social welfare... Various tailored projects for vulnerable groups, socially disadvantaged, elderly, and childcare environment... Significant increase in budget for 'Intelligent CCTV' and new budget for 'Nowon Safety Patrol' for a safer Nowon

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon District

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has prepared a budget of 1.3268 trillion KRW for 2024, an increase of 99 billion KRW compared to this year.

The budget for next year consists of 1.3093 trillion KRW in the general account and 17.5 billion KRW in the special account. Compared to this year, the general account increased by 102.4 billion KRW (8.49%), while the special account decreased by 3.4 billion KRW (△16.35%).

In response to the worsening financial conditions, the district cut the budget in seven sectors, excluding five sectors such as social welfare, which accounts for a large portion of national and city subsidy matching projects, and general public administration, which reflects essential expenses such as personnel costs.

Among the 2024 general account budget, the social welfare sector accounts for the largest portion with 849.6 billion KRW (64.9% of the total budget). This is an increase of 101.9 billion KRW (13.62%) compared to this year, reflecting the district’s characteristics with a large population of welfare recipients such as the elderly and disabled. The district will strengthen the Nowon-type care system by operating the Nowon Ddok Ddok Ddok Care Team and the Care SOS project, along with supporting vulnerable groups through livelihood benefits, parental benefits, and basic pensions, to further protect socially disadvantaged groups.

For general public administration and safety, 50.1 billion KRW was allocated, reflecting costs for establishing management funds for disaster preparedness and survey costs for preventing major accidents. In particular, a new budget was allocated to operate the ‘Nowon Safety Patrol Team,’ a permanent patrol force deployed since the 1st of this month in local trails, promenades, and neighborhood parks. Additionally, the budget for ‘intelligent CCTV installation’ was significantly expanded to minimize crime-prone areas.

In the field of land and regional development, 12.3 billion KRW was allocated, an increase of 1 billion KRW (9.23%) compared to this year. The district plans to ensure residents’ safety through flood prevention and continuous river management. It will also create attractive waterfront spaces by establishing the ‘Meeting Plaza’ rest facility at Jungnangcheon Stream and expanding the installation of the Danghyeoncheon music fountain.

Following the end of COVID-19 this year, Nowon’s unique cultural content was warmly received by residents. Next year, the district will present the four major Nowon festivals: Bulamsan Azalea Festival, Dancing Nowon, Nowon Moonlight Walk, and the 2nd Craft Beer Festival. Although the budget for culture and arts was reduced by 2.1% to 26.6 billion KRW due to challenging financial conditions, the district plans to prepare more solidly to meet residents’ support with various attractions and entertainment.

As a carbon-neutral city, Nowon established the ‘Carbon Neutral Promotion Team’ directly under the Deputy Mayor earlier this year and is actively responding to the climate crisis through public-private consultative bodies such as the ‘Carbon Neutral 2050 Residents’ Council.’ Including the budget for operating the Carbon Neutral Support Center selected through the Ministry of Environment’s competition for next year, 69.5 billion KRW was allocated to the environmental sector to lay the foundation for a full-fledged carbon-neutral society through policy development projects.

This budget proposal will be reviewed by the standing committee and the special budget and accounts committee before being approved and finalized at the plenary session next month.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “The 2024 budget was prepared with careful consideration to seek expenditure efficiency through drastic expenditure restructuring amid difficult financial conditions, while ensuring that policies necessary for residents’ lives are not overlooked. Next year, we will carefully oversee that the hard-earned taxes of residents are not wasted and do our best to make Nowon a safe and happy place for all.”