Gongju City "Full 600 Million KRW Cut from Basic and Detailed Design Service Fees"
Councilor Im Dal-hee "Not Included in the Main Budget, Nor Mentioned in the Work Report"
Gongju City and the Gongju City Council in Chungnam are engaged in a blame game over the budget cut for the service fee related to the ‘Geumgang Old Waterway Restoration Project.’
On the 24th, Gongju City announced that the ‘Geumgang Old Waterway Restoration Project,’ which was planned as a key project to revitalize local tourism, is at risk of being halted because the Gongju City Council completely cut the budget.
In a press release issued that day, the city pointed out, “We included 600 million KRW for basic and detailed design service fees in the first supplementary budget proposal and submitted it to the city council, but it was entirely cut during the budget review process.”
The city planned to develop piers and rest areas along the 16 km section from Geumgang Gongjubow to Sejongbo, operating yellow sailboats and amphibious buses to promote local tourism and economic development.
However, Councilor Im Dal-hee stated in a press release, “If this project was a core pledge of the 8th elected administration, sufficient review materials and explanations should have been provided in advance,” adding, “The supplementary budget project explanation was only half a page, and it was not included in the main budget nor mentioned in the work report.”
He continued, “The project cost for this year is 600 million KRW, but the total project cost is 8 billion KRW. If the supplementary budget of 600 million KRW passes, it means approving the remaining 7.4 billion KRW as well,” and said, “There needs to be a more thorough review of how the citizens’ 8 billion KRW is spent. I do not agree that the project should be pushed forward so hastily.”
In particular, he emphasized, “During the supplementary budget review, the head of the Tourism Division responded that consultations with Sejong City and Buyeo County had been made regarding the project, but consultations with the Ministry of Environment and environmental groups are still ongoing,” and added, “We cannot blindly approve project funds for a project whose consultations are not yet complete.”
He also criticized, “The council did not approve a project that was not sufficiently reviewed,” and said, “Distributing a press release to pressure the council by claiming the project is at risk of collapse due to the Gongju City Council’s budget cuts exceeds the authority of the executive branch.”
In response, the head of the Tourism Division told Asia Economy in a phone interview, “I explained the project to the council for about 10 minutes and requested cooperation,” adding, “Out of 12 council members, 6 to 7 attended the explanation session, and one of them said it was a good project, but the budget was still completely cut.”
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