Im Dal-hee, Gongju City Council Member, "Cannot Approve Project Funds Without Consultation"

"Budget Cut for 'Geumgang Old Waterway Restoration Project' Was Decided Through Proper Deliberation"

Councilor Im Dal-hee of Gongju City Council / Gongju City Council

Councilor Im Dal-hee of Gongju City Council in Chungnam expressed strong regret to Gongju City on the 25th regarding the budget cut for the "Geumgang Old Waterway Restoration Project" promoted by Gongju City, stating that it was decided through proper deliberation by the council.

In a press release on the same day, Councilor Im said, "The city did not provide sufficient explanation to the council about the project, and the submitted materials consisted of only half a page in the supplementary budget project description." He added, "According to the Local Finance Act, local governments cannot conduct financial investment reviews for projects not reflected in the mid-term financial plan, and projects costing over 6 billion KRW must obtain financial investment approval from the metropolitan government before budget allocation."

He continued, "Although the project is worth a total of 8 billion KRW, the city proceeded with the financial investment review without reflecting it in the mid-term financial plan, and even that was replaced by an internal review instead of a metropolitan government review."

Earlier, Gongju City stated in a press release on the 25th that the project was at risk of suspension after the city council completely cut the 600 million KRW service fee for the "Geumgang Old Waterway Restoration Project" during the supplementary budget review.

Councilor Im said, "During the supplementary budget review, the tourism department head mentioned that unlike Sejong City and Buyeo County, which had completed consultations on the project, consultations with the Ministry of Environment, environmental groups, and the Cultural Heritage Administration had not been completed." He added, "We cannot blindly approve project funds without proper consultations."

He emphasized, "Upon checking with Buyeo County, they stated that they had not received any consultation requests from Gongju City." He stressed, "We will definitely verify whether the city's claim that consultations were completed with this area is a false announcement."

Councilor Im pointed out, "Buyeo County is mostly proceeding with the project through private investment, providing only minimal infrastructure support, which is different from Gongju City, which is promoting it entirely with city funds."

He added, "Issues such as water pollution caused by the freshwater of the Geumgang River and the preservation of surrounding tourist sites like Gongsanseong Fortress are intertwined, making consultations with the Ministry of Environment, environmental groups, and the Cultural Heritage Administration important." He criticized, "Is it right to emphasize only the profitability of the project when such issues are piled up?"

He then questioned, "Why does the city insist on pushing forward with this project while labeling the city council, which followed the legally prescribed procedures and produced a legitimate budget review result, as 'obstructing city administration'?"

He proposed, "Let us hold a public hearing involving officials from Sejong City, Buyeo County, the Ministry of Environment, the Cultural Heritage Administration, and environmental groups to first listen to the opinions of the majority regarding this project."