Gyeongju City Launches National Funding Drive for Expansion of Cultural and Industrial Infrastructure in the 'Post-APEC' Era

Mayor Joo Nakyoung Meets with Budget Committee Lawmakers, Requests Support for Key Projects
13 Strategic Projects Totaling 1.877 Trillion Won... All-Out Efforts to Secure 109.1 Billion Won in National Funding

On November 4, Gyeongju City announced that Mayor Joo Nakyoung visited the National Assembly to actively request national budget support for key regional projects aimed at balanced development and the expansion of cultural and industrial infrastructure in the post-APEC Summit era.

This visit was a strategic move to encourage the National Assembly to include major projects that were either omitted or had their budgets reduced in the government’s draft budget for the next year, as the parliamentary review of the government budget proposal is now in full swing.

Mayor Ju Nakyoung of Gyeongju visited the National Assembly on the 4th, meeting sequentially with seven lawmakers, including Hyungdo Han, chairman of the Budget and Accounts Committee, to request national funding support for the next year. Photo by Gyeongju City

On this day, Mayor Joo met sequentially with seven members of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, including Chairman Han Byungdo, as well as lawmakers Cho Eunhee (Seocho-gap, Seoul), Cho Jiyeon (Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang), Ahn Dogeol (Dong-gu Nam-gu-eul, Gwangju), Kim Giwoong (Jung-gu Nam-gu, Daegu), Lim Jongdeuk (Yeongju, Yeongyang, Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang), and Kim Jaewon (Proportional Representation). He explained the progress of each project and requested their active cooperation.

During these meetings, Mayor Joo proposed a request for 109.1 billion won in national funding for the smooth progress of 13 strategically important projects in Gyeongju, with a total project cost of 1.8771 trillion won.

In particular, he emphasized the expansion of cultural and tourism infrastructure in the post-APEC era, building on the successful hosting of the APEC Summit. He requested the inclusion of five projects under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s jurisdiction, such as: the construction of the Gyeongju APEC Culture Hall (1.4 billion won), the major renovation of the Bomun Complex (3.5 billion won), and the restoration and maintenance of core Silla royal sites (28.5 billion won).

Additionally, for balanced regional development and improvements to transportation infrastructure, he proposed projects under the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s jurisdiction, including: the construction of the Nongso-Oedong National Road (40 billion won), the Oedong Nokdong-Munsan National Road (10 billion won), and the Yangnam-Munmu the Great National Road (5 billion won).

Furthermore, he requested national funding for five major projects aimed at establishing a future growth foundation, such as: advancement of future automobile convenience and safety technologies (700 million won), establishment of an SMR Certification Support Center (2 billion won), and creation of a radiation environment demonstration base (4 billion won).

Mayor Joo Nakyoung stated, "For Gyeongju to take another leap forward as Korea’s leading cultural and tourism city after the APEC Summit, strategic support at the national level is essential," adding, "We will make every effort to secure national funding across all sectors-culture, industry, and land infrastructure-to achieve tangible regional development that citizens can truly experience."

Meanwhile, Gyeongju City plans to use this National Assembly visit as a springboard for continued close cooperation throughout the budget adjustment process in both the subcommittees and standing committees of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, and will continue all-out efforts to secure national funding so that key regional projects are included in next year’s government budget.