Taean County Mayor Ga Se-ro: "Cutting the Newsletter Budget Is an Act of Tyranny by the County Council"

At the New Year's Press Conference: "Blocking Information Access Rights of Military Residents and Former Residents"

At the New Year's press conference held on the 9th in the Chungcheongnam-do Taean County Office conference room, County Governor Ga Sero is answering reporters' questions. Photo by Choi Byungmin

Gaseo, the governor of Taean County in South Chungcheong Province, strongly objected to the Taean County Council's complete cut of this year's budget for publishing the county's newsletter, calling it "an outrageous act by the council that blocks residents and former residents from accessing information."

On the 9th, during a New Year's press conference held in the main conference room of Taean County Office, Governor Gaseo presented his vision for this year's county administration and, in a Q&A session with reporters, harshly criticized the council, stating, "Cutting the newsletter budget is unthinkable."

In response to a question about countermeasures for the budget cut, Governor Gaseo said, "It is a very wrong and unacceptable decision," adding, "The county newsletter is a source of information not only for elderly residents but also for former residents of Taean."

He continued, "(The county newsletter) is the only information medium and communication channel that has never ceased publication since the county was restored," and pointed out, "It is telling that even a 92-year-old grandmother wrote a letter to the editorial board. For residents living in these times, it is simply deplorable."

Governor Gaseo added, "I don't know if the related budget will be reinstated through a supplementary budget, but I believe this is an outrageous and wrong decision by the council," and emphasized, "Moreover, not all council members agreed to the cut?four were in favor, and three opposed. This is the worst of the council's missteps."

Previously, on December 11 last year, the Taean County Council completely cut the 236 million won budget for publishing "Taean Where the Heart Stays," a newsletter with a monthly circulation of 10,000, during the 308th 2nd regular session's Special Budget and Accounts Committee review.

At that time, the council took issue with the newsletter's coverage of delays in the restoration and maintenance of the modern hanok in Dongmun-ri, Taean-eup.

The newsletter, in its "Here Are the Facts" section, explained why the modern hanok in Dongmun-ri, built in the 1930s and registered as a National Registered Cultural Heritage, cannot be preserved or managed at the county level.

The newsletter stated that the Dongmun-ri hanok was registered as National Registered Cultural Heritage (Modern Hanok) No. 704 in 2017, and the following year, the owner donated it to Taean County.

It also added that, according to a site survey, the donor's living space occupies 132 square meters of land donated to Taean County, an unresolved issue that has led to a cautious stance.

Furthermore, the newsletter conveyed the county's position that, although an application for cultural heritage registration was submitted in 2016, the 3,499 artifacts had already been donated to the National Folk Museum of Korea in 2009, so without actual artifacts, the value of utilizing the modern hanok is diminished, making it difficult to proceed with the restoration project immediately.

The county also clearly explained in the newsletter that it had no choice but to carry over the 100 million won design cost for the restoration and surrounding maintenance of the modern hanok as a national project this year.

On December 11 last year, the Taean County Council ended up completely cutting the newsletter's publication budget over these issues.

In response, members of the Taean newsletter editorial board and residents have formed a countermeasure committee, strongly protesting and demanding the restoration of the original budget, leading to growing local conflict.

They criticized, "The county newsletter, which has been published for the past 35 years, must be published under any circumstances," and added, "Blocking information access for former residents and locals is a clear act of disregard for all residents."