Gwangju City Lee-Tongjang Association "No Need for Resident Support Project Funds... Please Lift Regulations"

The Gwangju City Association of Village and Neighborhood Leaders (President Park Ju-il) in Gyeonggi Province, together with the Special Measures Area Water Quality Conservation Policy Council (hereinafter referred to as the Special Council) (co-chairs Kang Cheon-sim and Shin Yong-baek), declared a government protest in response to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's unilateral cut of resident support project funds.

The Gwangju City Neighborhood Association, together with the Special Association, decided to simultaneously put up banners starting from the 11th and intensify their struggle against the government. Photo by Gyeonggi Gwangju City Neighborhood Association

Gwangju City has a water source protection area of 83.627㎢, accounting for 52.7% of the Paldang water system, and a waterfront area of 9.611㎢, which is 2.2% of the Han River water system. Above all, the entire area is designated as a special measures area, where there is usually much dissatisfaction with regulations.

Due to these numerous regulations, Gwangju City has received the highest budget support for resident support projects among the seven cities and counties, and consequently, it is also the area that has suffered the largest cuts in the recent Ministry of Strategy and Finance budget reductions, leading to strong public outcry.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance cut 7.3 billion KRW from the 2025 resident support project budget, ignoring the nature of the Han River water system fund, which is formed from earmarked taxes paid by residents living downstream who drink tap water. Of this, about 1.4 billion KRW (approximately 20%) was allocated to Gwangju City's resident support projects.

The Gwangju City Association of Village and Neighborhood Leaders has resolved, together with the Special Council, to intensify their protest against the government. As a first step, they began putting up banners simultaneously from the 11th and plan to hold a rally in the near future.

President Park Ju-il and the members of the Association stated, "The budget proposal for resident support projects submitted by the Han River Watershed Management Committee to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance was derived through agreement among five cities and provinces (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Chungbuk), which include both areas that suffer losses and those that benefit. This budget is an earmarked tax paid by residents living downstream who drink tap water, so it is unacceptable for the Ministry of Strategy and Finance to cut it." They strongly asserted, "If the compensation given due to regulations is cut in an area already burdened with many regulations, then we do not need resident support project funds. Instead, we ask that regulations be lifted so we can develop and live like other regions."