Mayor Yuk Donghan Leads Close Communication with Central Government, Achieves Record National Funding
Research & Development Special Zone Receives Rare Early Funding... Soyang 8th Bridge Project Expected to Accelerate
Securing Provincial Funding Remains a Challenge as Chuncheon Strengthens Foundation for Hosting International Taekwondo Events
Chuncheon City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Yuk Donghan) has secured 607 billion won in national funding for next year, achieving the largest amount since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration.
On December 3, Chuncheon City announced that it had secured significant national funding for major pending projects after the 2026 government budget was approved at the National Assembly plenary session on December 2. Since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration, the amount of national funding secured has steadily increased, reaching the 600 billion won range in 2026. By project, the city secured funding across all areas, including 36 new projects, 37 ongoing projects, and 371 annual recurring projects, providing strong momentum for the city’s key initiatives.
The main project budgets were established through the government proposal and further enhanced during the National Assembly’s budget review process, increasing their completeness.
The government proposal included funding for the following: construction of the World Taekwondo (WT) headquarters (3.5 billion won), Urban Regeneration Innovation District (1.5 billion won), establishment of the integrated control center for the Hupyeong Smart Green Industrial Complex (2.9 billion won), and establishment of the AX Demonstration Industrial Complex (2 billion won).
During the National Assembly review, additional funding was secured for the following: R&D for fostering the Research & Development Special Zone (6.5 billion won), construction of the Soyang 8th Bridge (100 million won), the 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships (400 million won), establishment of a digital biochip platform (2.3 billion won), establishment of a bank for antigen and antibody materials for small and medium-sized CDMO development (2.3 billion won), development of AI-based biomarker discovery and treatment technology for diabetes and kidney disease (2 billion won), creation of a data-driven medical and health ecosystem (1.3 billion won), and improvement of circular landfill facilities (1 billion won).
Chuncheon City believes that this record-high budget achievement is the result of continuous efforts to secure project funding through communication with central government agencies. The city has operated regular internal strategy meetings since the beginning of the year and visited government ministries and the National Assembly more than ten times to explain the necessity of major projects. Since August, the city has also directly explained the necessity and urgency of its projects to government budget officials, ensuring that as much funding as possible was included at the government proposal stage.
Throughout this process, Mayor Yuk Donghan maintained consistent communication with Ministry of Economy and Finance officials, successfully fostering administrative understanding. Even during the final budget adjustment stage, Mayor Yuk actively utilized his network with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, maintaining close communication, and on the night before the plenary session, December 1, he operated a hotline with Assemblyman Heo Young's office to ensure real-time reflection of key issues.
Another major achievement was the restoration of almost all core projects that had been omitted from the government proposal during the National Assembly review. With the interest and cooperation of Assemblymen Heo Young and Han Kiho, and the support of Budget Committee Chairman Han Byungdo and committee members Kim Daesik, Heo Seongmu, and Song Kiheon, the city succeeded in securing nearly all projects that had been excluded from the government proposal.
In particular, the Research & Development Special Zone is noted as a rare case in which government funding was allocated even before its official designation. This was the result of Chuncheon City’s strategic response from the initial planning stage, leading the inclusion of special provisions in the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Act and establishing a dedicated organization. As a result, prospects for attracting the special zone headquarters and operating it with Chuncheon as the center have improved significantly.
Additionally, the Soyang 8th Bridge construction project, which failed the feasibility re-examination in August due to economic evaluation limitations, has now regained national funding by supplementing its economic and policy value, such as by independently pursuing access roads. With this national funding, a feasibility re-examination, which is less procedurally burdensome than a preliminary feasibility study, is now possible, providing a positive factor for normalizing the project. The city believes that, with significantly improved economic feasibility, the outcome of the re-examination will be favorable.
Furthermore, with stable government funding secured for both the construction of the World Taekwondo headquarters and next year’s 'Chuncheon 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships,' the necessity for provincial funding support is expected to grow as the global taekwondo network is established with Chuncheon at its center. This will further strengthen the foundation for attracting international events and enhance Chuncheon’s status as a global taekwondo hub.
Mayor Yuk Donghan stated, “I would like to thank the members of the National Assembly and government officials who contributed to securing the budget,” adding, “Having established a major foothold for Chuncheon’s development, I will do my utmost to ensure that all projects yield tangible results for our citizens.”
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