"The Jung-gu Council Must Promptly Restore the Cut Livelihood Budget"

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) submitted a supplementary budget proposal to the Jung-gu Council on the 12th. The budget was organized on a scale of 7.3 billion KRW, reflecting the project budget that was unfairly cut during the 2024 main budget review at the end of last year.

On the 17th, Jung-gu criticized the Jung-gu Council for issuing a press release on the 15th, stating that the withdrawal of Jung-gu's request for reconsideration was "an issue caused by not properly recognizing administrative procedures," and accused them of starting to make unreasonable claims again.

Jung-gu addressed the Jung-gu Council, saying, "Make it clear whether you intend to revive the unfairly cut budget or kill it," expressing regret over the council's attitude of not wanting to review the budget necessary for residents.

For smooth district administration, it is necessary to establish an annual plan and secure the required budget accordingly. It is difficult to carry out projects stably when it is unknown when the budget will be secured. If the budget closely related to residents' daily lives is not restored promptly, it is obvious that services such as parking, cleaning, sports and welfare facilities, and roads will not be smoothly carried out, causing inconvenience to residents.

The request for reconsideration is a legitimate administrative procedure stipulated in the Local Autonomy Act, which a local government can exercise when the council makes a wrong decision to reduce expenses that must be borne according to laws and regulations. However, there is a systemic limitation that the cut budget cannot be restored, so a supplementary budget is essential to practically secure the budget.

The voices of residents regarding the supplementary budget could not be ignored. On December 26 last year, 300 residents gathered at the Community Center to hold a rally condemning the unfair budget cuts. At the beginning of the year, a delegation of residents strongly requested the prompt restoration of the cut livelihood budget during a meeting with the mayor.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Local councils exist to collect and represent public opinion, not to cut budgets," and added, "I hope the chairman of the Jung-gu Council and the Democratic Party members will deeply consider what projects are truly necessary for our district this year and what the residents of Jung-gu genuinely desire by submitting a supplementary budget proposal rather than a request for reconsideration at this extraordinary session."