Kim Hong-gu, Gyeongbuk Provincial Councilor, "No Effect Even If 110 Million Won Budget Is Spent Per Childbirth"

"Must Provide One Apartment per Two Children"

Provincial Governor Lee Cheol-woo Demands Response to Provincial Assembly Question

Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly member Kim Hong-gu (People Power Party·Sangju 2) presented specific measures to strengthen Gyeongbuk's fiscal soundness and policy proposals for the efficient operation of after-school Neulbom and care projects through the first plenary session of the 346th Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly temporary session on the 23rd.

To overcome Gyeongbuk's fiscal difficulties caused by regional economic stagnation and real estate transaction stagnation due to recent population decline, Assemblyman Kim urged the establishment of innovative delinquent tax collection measures, including the need to increase the collection rate of delinquent local taxes to 80%.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Member Kim Hong-gu.

He emphasized that the average annual delinquent amount in Gyeongbuk over the past five years is about 180 billion KRW, and delinquent amounts not collected in the current year are carried over to the next year or written off, making the delinquent tax collection rate a major variable in sound fiscal management.

He also explained the need for balanced socio-economic development in Gyeongbuk by citing examples such as the social welfare budget, which accounts for the largest portion of Gyeongbuk’s budget, and the industrial technology and science technology sectors, which have the smallest budget scale. He pointed out the lack of support budgets for specific groups such as youth and women and urged measures to address this.

Additionally, Assemblyman Kim explained the similarities between the ‘Neulbom’ project promoted by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education and the ‘Care’ project promoted by Gyeongbuk Province, proposing the establishment and operation of an integrated management organization for the two projects. He also took the lead in resolving policy conflicts between the Gyeongbuk Office of Education and schools by pointing out recent personnel issues in the Neulbom project to Superintendent Lim Jong-sik.

In particular, while explaining the care project, Assemblyman Kim emphasized the urgency of introducing effective policies to prevent career discontinuity among women, stating, “True care is to let parents leave work early to take care of their children,” and “After-school care projects could potentially cause emotional abuse to children.”

On this day, Assemblyman Kim continued his provincial administration questions, expressing concerns about imbalance with regions not selected as education development special zones following the recent selection of eight areas in Gyeongbuk (Pohang, Gumi, Andong, Sangju, Chilgok, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Uljin) as pilot education development special zones. He repeatedly urged thorough preparations to prevent the repetition of high school stratification such as special-purpose high schools, autonomous private high schools, and specialized high schools under the name of high school diversification in the past.

He went on to say, “Over the past five years, 11.6 trillion KRW has been invested to prevent low birth rates and local extinction crises, but the reality is a population decrease of 110,000,” adding, “We are in an era that requires groundbreaking population response policies beyond past policies.”

Finally, Assemblyman Kim pointed out, “Currently in Gyeongbuk, about 110 million KRW in total budget is invested per child for childbirth congratulatory money and related support allowances, but these projects are fragmented and small-scale support projects, resulting in low perceived effects among residents relative to the total budget size.” He then asked Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk for his opinion, stating, “Policies are needed that can support an apartment for families with two children or four members.”