Gwangju Namgu Criticized for Passive Budget Securing: "High Dependence on Metropolitan City"

Shin Jonghyuk of Gwangju Namgu Council Raises District Administration Questions
Next Year's National Budget Remains Unchanged
Seven Presidential Pledges and Job Creation Must Be Secured
"Government Projects and City Policies to Be Integrated"

Gwangju Namgu District Office building exterior.

In Gwangju Namgu District, there have been calls to seize the opportunity for regional growth by implementing presidential campaign pledges, such as the government's ongoing second phase of relocating public institutions to provincial areas and promoting national balanced development. While local governments across the country are fiercely competing to attract these institutions, critics point out that Namgu District has not clearly revealed specific strategies or preparations and has been passive in securing budgets.

According to Gwangju Namgu District and the Namgu District Council on October 23, the district presented nine pledges for autonomous district development during the last presidential election, of which seven were selected. These pledges include: ▲ Construction of Phase 3 of Gwangju Metro Line 2 ▲ Establishment of a multipurpose complex community center in Namgu ▲ Creation of a renewable energy specialized industrial complex ▲ Construction of a road between Seomun-daero in Jinwol-dong and Daehwa Apartments in Bongseon-dong ▲ Establishment of a Youth E-Healing Universe ▲ Support for the Mudeung and Gunbun-ro commercial district renaissance project ▲ Creation of the Gwangju Traditional, Cultural, and Artistic (TCA) Valley.

Regarding this, Shin Jonghyuk, a member of the Gwangju Namgu District Council, pointed out during the 315th temporary session of the district council, "For next year's national budget request, there has been little change from this year, as only the existing projects have been requested again. This appears to be a very passive administration, especially when a new government has taken office and there is an opportunity for greater change and support," adding, "Please share your opinion on the current status of budget acquisition and what measures are in place to secure more funding in the future."

He also criticized the handling of presidential pledges, such as the failed National AI Data Center project, saying, "Despite much effort, seeing that Gwangju's first pledge has fallen through, it is questionable whether the seven pledges for Namgu will be properly realized."

There were also calls for securing future growth engines, such as job creation, to attract and retain young people. He stated, "Policies focused solely on resident welfare will result in young people leaving due to a lack of jobs, and the population will continue to decline," adding, "I am concerned that Namgu will become a declining consumption-oriented city with no productivity, relying solely on the central government and Gwangju City."

In response, an official from Namgu District stated, "Due to the nature of Gwangju's autonomous districts, financial grants are distributed through the metropolitan city, so our dependence on Gwangju City is high. Since Namgu itself lacks sufficient tax revenue, we are holding weekly meetings to discuss how central government projects and new policies from Gwangju City can be integrated with Namgu."

The official added, "The Namgu Energy Valley Industrial Complex is expected to be fully activated within three years, and there are plans to create additional industrial complexes. We plan to highlight the unique cultural content of each region within Namgu and develop the city centered on education and culture to attract more residents."