Gwanak District Finalizes 7.8 Billion Won Supplementary Budget for This Year, Focused on Livelihood Recovery

Focus on Supporting Small Business Owners and Tailored Welfare Programs

Gwanak District in Seoul (District Mayor Park Junhee) announced on July 16 that it has finalized the first supplementary budget for 2025 at 7.8 billion won, following deliberation by the district council. This supplementary budget is about 500 million won less than the originally proposed 8.3 billion won, bringing the district's total annual budget for this year to 1.0628 trillion won, an increase of 0.7% compared to the beginning of the year.

Gwanak District Office exterior. Provided by Gwanak District Office.

The finalized supplementary budget will be primarily allocated to support the livelihoods of residents, such as providing assistance to small business owners who are struggling due to the ongoing economic downturn, domestic market stagnation, and reduced consumer spending. It will also focus on tailored welfare programs that residents can directly experience.

Major allocations include 750 million won for the Seoul Companion Jobs program and 2.33 billion won for the issuance and operation of the Gwanak Love Gift Certificate, both aimed at stabilizing livelihoods and revitalizing the local economy. Welfare enhancement projects include 250 million won for the Our Neighborhood Attractive Garden project, 900 million won for the Jeonse Damage Support Center, and 110 million won for establishing a youth-friendly city foundation. Urban safety and environmental projects include 70 million won for the repair and reinforcement of the retaining wall slope at the SNU Hill Road and 170 million won for the management of water playgrounds in children's parks.

On the other hand, projects that saw budget reductions this time are the Gwanak-style Artterior Project (250 million won) and the improvement of working conditions for village bus drivers (250 million won). In the case of the improvement of working conditions for village bus drivers, a final agreement with the council was not reached. However, the district plans to devise an operational plan to address residents' inconveniences and reallocate the budget in the second supplementary budget for 2025.

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak District, stated, "Taking into account the difficult livelihood economy, we will promptly execute the supplementary budget to help restore livelihoods and enhance the safety of our residents." He added, "We are also considering issuing livelihood recovery consumption coupons as part of the second supplementary budget, and we will do our utmost to revitalize the stagnant local economy and help residents regain happiness in their daily lives."