Government Continues to Neglect Honam in Sports Infrastructure and Budget Allocation

National Sports Promotion Fund Concentrated in Seoul Metropolitan and Yeongnam Regions
Support for Honam Halved in Five Years
Min Hyungbae: "Fundamental Measures Needed for Equal Benefits Nationwide"

Over the past five years, the Honam region has received only 17.4% of the total support from the National Sports Promotion Fund.

According to an analysis by Assemblyman Min Hyungbae of the Democratic Party (Gwangju Gwangsan-eul), based on data submitted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism titled 'Status of National Sports Promotion Fund Budget Support by Region Over the Past Five Years' for the National Assembly audit on October 3, out of a total of 1.41953 trillion won, only 246.815 billion won was allocated to the Honam region. This figure is less than one-fifth of the total, raising urgent calls for a comprehensive review of sports policies aimed at balanced regional development.

Concerns are mounting as the amount of funding for Honam has sharply declined over the past five years. In 2020, the region received 69.622 billion won, but by 2024, this amount had dropped to 31.659 billion won, less than half. This sharp decrease could have a critical impact on residents’ access to sports activities and overall welfare, and calls for a responsible approach from the government.

In contrast, during the same period, the Seoul metropolitan area and the Yeongnam region received substantial support. The Seoul metropolitan area secured 394.265 billion won (27.8%), and the Yeongnam region received 388.079 billion won (27.3%), each accounting for nearly one-third of the total budget. Together, these two regions absorbed more than half of the entire fund. Such concentration of support in specific regions is identified as a major factor deepening the gap in sports infrastructure between regions.

By individual region, Gyeonggi Province received the largest share at 284.168 billion won, accounting for 20.0% of the total fund. This was followed by Gyeongnam with 153.237 billion won (10.8%), Chungnam with 111.834 billion won (7.9%), Jeonbuk with 103.909 billion won (7.3%), and Gyeongbuk with 100.217 billion won (7.1%). Sejong City received the least at 12.19 billion won (0.9%), with the gap between Sejong and Gyeonggi Province-the region receiving the most-reaching as much as 23 times. Gwangju ranked fifth from the bottom among the 17 metropolitan and provincial governments.

The distribution of public sports facilities, which are directly used by citizens, also clearly reflects this budget imbalance. Of the 37,176 facilities nationwide, the Yeongnam region accounted for 11,759, or 31.6% of the total, ranking overwhelmingly first. This was followed by the Seoul metropolitan area with 9,376 facilities (25.2%), Honam region with 6,726 (18.1%), Chungcheong region with 5,686 (15.3%), and Gangwon·Jeju with 3,629 (9.8%). These statistics clearly demonstrate that budget support for sports ultimately leads to a concentration of facility infrastructure.

Assemblyman Min criticized, "Even in the sports sector, the focus on infrastructure, government policies, and budget management remains centered on the Seoul metropolitan area and Yeongnam region." He emphasized, "The government, especially the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, must step up to develop fundamental measures so that all citizens, not just those in specific regions, can benefit equally."