Gwangju Seo-gu Cuts Hundreds of Millions from 'Golmok Pay' Budget... Local Small Businesses Protest

Banners Questioning the Reason for Budget Cuts Also Removed

A representative of the Gwangju Small Business Association protesting with a placard. Photo provided by a reader.

Small business owners in Gwangju Metropolitan City's Seo-gu district have strongly protested after several hundred million won was cut from the budget for the 'Golmok Pay' project, which the district has been promoting as a key initiative. The conflict has further intensified after banners put up by merchants to inquire about the reasons for the budget cut were also removed.

On January 8, the Gwangju Small Business Association held a picket protest in front of the Seo-gu District Council, condemning council members who led the budget reduction for the Golmok Pay project.

The Golmok Pay project is an economic revitalization policy that provides an immediate 10% discount when using digital Onnuri Gift Certificates at affiliated stores in Seo-gu, and an additional 5% refund on the monthly usage amount.

Seo-gu originally allocated 1.805 billion won for the Golmok Pay project this year, but about 400 million won was cut during the district council's budget review process, reducing the final budget to 1.4 billion won.

The Gwangju Small Business Association argued, "Despite the significant reduction in the budget for this core project, which is directly linked to small business sales, neither the district office nor the district council has provided a clear explanation."

Previously, the association installed a total of six banners across Seo-gu-one on the 27th and five on the 30th of last month-asking about the reasons for the Golmok Pay budget cut. However, it is reported that these banners were removed sequentially over time without any clear explanation. The association has raised the possibility that certain council members may have exerted pressure during this process.

Lee Kisung, head of the Gwangju branch of the Small Business Association, stated, "Since the end of last year, when signs of a budget reduction for the Golmok Pay project first appeared, we have continuously demanded an explanation, but have not received a proper answer. Even the banners we put up to question this were unreasonably taken down. If several hundred million won is cut from a project that is vital to the survival of small businesses, there should be a sufficient explanation, but there has been none at all," he said, expressing his displeasure.