Bucheon to Hold Policy Forum on National Funding Share Reform on the 27th... Diagnosing the Local Welfare Crisis

Hosted by Assemblyman Seo Youngseok of the Health and Welfare Committee
Proposing Directions for Building a Sustainable Welfare Finance System

The city of Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province will host a National Assembly policy forum titled "National Funding Share System Reform for Social Welfare Budget," organized by Assemblyman Seo Youngseok of the Health and Welfare Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Bucheon Gap District). The event will take place at 2:00 p.m. on January 27, 2026, in Seminar Room 2 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building.

This policy forum has been organized in response to concerns that the fiscal burden on local governments to meet the rapidly increasing demand for social welfare-driven by factors such as an aging population, the rise in single-person households, and the expansion of care services-has reached its limit.

In reality, many local governments are finding it increasingly difficult to allocate funds for regional development projects due to rising welfare expenditures. In particular, metropolitan cities in the Seoul metropolitan area, such as Bucheon, are in urgent need of fiscal restructuring, as their financial independence remains low despite high welfare demands.

The forum will examine how the current cost-sharing structure between national and local governments for social welfare budgets fails to adequately reflect regional fiscal conditions and differences in welfare demand. It will also discuss rational directions for system reform to enhance equity in local government finances.

In addition, experts will present and participate in a comprehensive discussion on the current status and challenges of the national funding share system for social welfare budgets, as well as ways to rationally adjust fiscal responsibility between the central and local governments.

Assemblyman Seo stated, "It is necessary to review and discuss improvements to the structure that excessively concentrates the burden of social welfare costs on local governments. Through policy discussions at the National Assembly, I will work to raise awareness about the need to establish more rational standards for national funding shares."

Bucheon Mayor Cho Yongik commented, "The limitations of local government finances can directly lead to a decline in the quality of welfare services. We will actively cooperate with the National Assembly and relevant ministries to establish a rational fiscal sharing system that reflects the realities on the ground."

Bucheon is one of the leading local governments in the Seoul metropolitan area in terms of the proportion of welfare spending. Through this forum, the city plans to share the perspectives of local governments with the National Assembly and seek a sustainable welfare finance structure that enables mutual prosperity between the central and local governments.