Jeonbuk Province Secures 9.2244 Trillion Won Budget for Next Year... Largest Ever

Up 208.1 Billion KRW YoY... 3 Consecutive Years Over 9 Trillion KRW
Saemangeum Project-Related SOC Accelerates with 666 Billion KRW

Choi Byung-gwan, Vice Governor of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, announced that the province has secured a record-breaking national budget of 9.2244 trillion won for next year.

According to Jeonbuk Province on the 11th, the secured national budget for next year is 208.1 billion won more than the confirmed 2024 budget of 9.0163 trillion won, achieving a budget exceeding 9 trillion won for the third consecutive year.

On the 11th, Choi Byung-gwan, the Deputy Governor of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, is briefing on next year's national budget and current legislative issues at the Jeonbuk Provincial Government Press Room. Photo by Jeonbuk Province

Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province faced difficulties in securing the budget amid the government’s strong expenditure restructuring and sound fiscal policy. Additionally, the political situation was challenging due to extreme confrontations between the ruling and opposition parties during the impeachment crisis, which hindered proper budget review and prevented requested budget increases from being fully reflected.

Since early this year, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province has made every effort to secure the national budget. From the government budget drafting stage, persistent persuasion and consultations were conducted with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and various ministries.

In particular, the province developed logical arguments and prepared persuasive materials focusing on major projects such as the Saemangeum project, future new industry development, and resolution of regional issues, meeting government officials to propose these projects. They also established a close cooperative system with local members of the National Assembly to unite efforts in securing the budget.

Local lawmakers actively voiced their support for securing budgets for key regional projects from the budget reflection stage in ministries and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, while the province provided necessary data and information to support these efforts, demonstrating close teamwork.

Special focus was placed on securing the budget for the normal advancement of the Saemangeum project, securing 63.2 billion won for the construction of Saemangeum International Airport, 138.2 billion won for the construction of Saemangeum New Port, and 419 billion won for the construction of the Saemangeum-Jeonju Expressway, totaling 666 billion won for major SOC budgets.

Additionally, 51.5 billion won was secured for internal development of Saemangeum, 102.6 billion won for establishing a dedicated stockpile base for critical minerals, and 25.5 billion won for supporting the construction of a joint wastewater pipeline for the Saemangeum industrial complex, securing 203.8 billion won for infrastructure development projects. Through this, the Saemangeum project will be properly advanced, attracting private investment to revitalize the regional economy.

Efforts are also being accelerated to foster future new industries. In the bio sector, 5 billion won was secured for the Jeonbuk Research and Development Special Zone advanced bio R&D project, and 1 billion won for building infrastructure for advanced biopharmaceutical development, supporting the development and infrastructure of advanced biopharmaceuticals.

In the secondary battery sector, 2.5 billion won was secured for R&D on next-generation BESS high-reliability verification and safety technology development for extreme environments, and 1.1 billion won for R&D to establish a digital twin-based testbed for used battery recycling, promoting technological innovation and strengthening infrastructure linked to renewable energy.

In the carbon industry sector, 500 million won was secured for building a total solution-based carbon product standard certification system, and 5.1 billion won for K-carbon flagship technology development R&D, supporting technology development and ecosystem creation.

Budgets were also secured for digital transformation and future technology preemption. This includes 3.7 billion won for hyper-tube core technology development R&D, 3 billion won for advanced R&D on future radiation strength technologies, and 300 million won for building an open A-SW open source and cooperative development service platform for agricultural machinery digital transformation, accelerating digital transformation and strengthening future technology competitiveness.

Budgets were secured for projects improving residential conditions to enhance the quality of life for local residents. These include 1.86 billion won for detailed design of the Honam Expressway expansion project (Gimje-Samrye), 500 million won for the national road construction project from Seolcheon to Mupung in Muju, 1 billion won for expansion of Iksan Station and construction of an elevated parking lot, and 8 billion won for improvement of Jeonju Station facilities. Budgets were secured across various fields such as roads, railways, water supply and sewage, and safety networks to improve convenience and safety for residents.

Efforts were also made to expand cultural, sports, and tourism infrastructure. In the cultural facilities sector, 28.4 billion won was secured for smart content creation and innovation of historical and cultural spaces using advanced technology. In the sports facilities sector, 19.6 billion won was secured for revitalizing local sports and modernizing sports facilities.

Additionally, in the tourism infrastructure sector, 19.8 billion won was secured for tourism site development, discovery of regionally specialized tourism resources, and improvement of accessibility, expanding opportunities for cultural enjoyment and revitalizing the local tourism industry.

Vice Governor Choi Byung-gwan stated, “With the secured national budget, we will do our best to successfully advance the Saemangeum project, foster future new industries, and improve the quality of life for residents.” He added, “We will continue to make every effort to secure national budgets through government supplementary budgets and discovery of new projects.”