Gwangju Office of Education to Use "Emergency Reserve" for New Headquarters, Raising Fiscal Concerns

Plans to Use 86.2 Billion Won from the Integrated Fiscal Stabilization Fund Announced
Civic Groups: "Reckless Push... Ordinance Review Should Be Deferred"

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education has announced plans to use the Integrated Fiscal Stabilization Fund as a financial resource for constructing its new office building, raising concerns about fund depletion and worsening fiscal conditions. Education-focused civic groups have criticized the office's approach of pushing for ordinance enactment without securing sufficient funds.

On June 30, the Citizens' Coalition for an Academic-Free Society stated, "The Office of Education is pursuing the construction of a new office building with a budget of 110.5 billion won, citing cramped workspaces and aging facilities, but is attempting to enact an ordinance based on unsecured financial resources." The office plans to build the new headquarters on the site of the Education Civic Cooperation Promotion Center in Sinchang-dong, Gwangsan-gu, with land acquisition starting this year, design scheduled for 2026, and construction targeted to begin in 2027.

According to the cost estimate for the new headquarters submitted to the Gwangju Metropolitan Council, the Office of Education plans to use 24.3 billion won from the Ministry of Education's general grant and 86.2 billion won from the Integrated Fiscal Stabilization Fund as funding sources. The Integrated Fiscal Stabilization Fund serves as an "emergency reserve" to prepare for fiscal crises such as decreases in local government revenue or disasters.

The civic group pointed out, "Transfers from the central government and local governments are decreasing, leading to a sharp increase in fund usage," adding, "Concerns about fund depletion are growing." The Gwangju Metropolitan Council projects that, as of the end of 2024, the fund balance will decrease to 129.3 billion won, which is less than half of the 446.1 billion won recorded in 2022.

The civic group also stated, "If the Office of Education uses seed money intended for students to build the new headquarters, this could result in fiscal crises such as increased budget burdens for free high school education and the issuance of local bonds." The group called on the Gwangju Metropolitan Council to defer deliberation on the ordinance proposal and urged the Office of Education to secure separate funding by adjusting unnecessary projects.