Jeonnam Provincial Council Member Na Gwangguk: "Severe Delays in River and Construction Projects"

67 Projects Undertaken Over 5 Years, Total Project Cost 1.9884 Trillion Won
Progress Rate Only 28%... Severe Budget Shortage Pointed Out

Na Gwangkuk, a member of the South Jeolla Provincial Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Muan 2), pointed out the serious delays in the construction projects of local rivers and provincial roads in the South Jeolla region.

During the review of the 2025 First Supplementary Budget Proposal by the Safety, Construction, and Firefighting Committee on the 16th, Na stated, "The average progress rate of 67 local river and provincial road construction projects promoted by South Jeolla Province over the past five years remains at only 28%."

Kwangguk Na, Jeonnam Provincial Council Member. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Council

The total initial project cost for these projects was 1.9884 trillion won, but it has now increased by more than 73 billion won to 2.0616 trillion won.

Na emphasized, "Due to external factors such as abnormal weather and civil complaints, as well as budget shortages, the construction progress is stalled at an average of 28%. Although the project cost has increased to 2.0616 trillion won, up by more than 73 billion won, the budget allocation is still severely lacking compared to the construction progress."

He continued, "As projects are being pushed forward without sufficient budget allocation, this has led to prolonged timelines and, consequently, a vicious cycle where the overall cost burden increases. I urge a re-prioritization of projects and requests for support from the central government to improve progress rates."

Kang Younggu, Director of Provincial Resident Safety, responded, "We will thoroughly review the budget requirements and execution status of ongoing projects, and when establishing future project plans, we will fully consider budget conditions and feasibility. We will also review ways to secure additional funding for necessary projects."

Although external factors such as abnormal weather and civil complaints were also cited as causes for the delays, budget shortages have been identified as the main reason. South Jeolla Province is currently seeking solutions to address construction delays by securing additional budget and improving project management.