Choi Sang-ki, the mayor of Inje County in Gangwon Province, visited the National Assembly to advocate for improvements to the local finance system and support for disaster prevention projects. His visit aimed to secure national funding for specific projects while ensuring a financial foundation for county governance.
On October 8, Inje County reported that Mayor Choi met with Lee Kwang-jae, chairman of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, and National Assembly members Lee Yang-soo and Heo Young. He requested national funding to facilitate the smooth implementation of the disaster risk improvement project in Jindong-ri, as well as enhancements to the local finance system in light of the establishment of a future response fund.
The two main topics of this visit were local finance and resident safety. The request for improvements to the local finance system pertains to the financial conditions necessary for sustaining regional projects, while the request for support for the Jindong-ri project relates to securing budget for reducing disaster risks.
The future response fund is a government initiative aimed at addressing fluctuations in tax revenue and investing in youth support, growth drivers, and regional industrial foundations. The impact of the fund's establishment and the revision of the local finance distribution method are currently points of contention regarding local finances.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety indicated in a report last September that the total amount of local allocation tax for the next year is expected to increase compared to this year's budget, although the distribution amounts for each region have yet to be determined. They also noted that if local financial conditions worsen, the revised proposal includes provisions for additional support using the fund. Therefore, it is premature to conclude that Inje County's allocation tax will decrease.
Mayor Choi's request for system improvements can be seen as a call to reflect the region's financial conditions in these discussions. However, the specific amendments and anticipated financial impacts requested by Inje County were not detailed in the provided materials.
The Jindong-ri disaster risk area improvement project is directly linked to the safety of residents' daily activities. According to Inje County's related announcement, the first pedestrian bridge over the Seolpigol Stream in Jindong-ri is the only access route, raising concerns about traffic disruptions and isolation during heavy rain. While the specific scope of the national funding request for this project requires further confirmation, there are pressing issues regarding the safety of access routes in the area.
This is not Mayor Choi's first engagement with the central government and the National Assembly. On August 3, he met with Chairman Lee Kwang-jae to request an increase in the total limit for special situation area development project funding and support for key issues in Inje County. His requests included not only funding for individual projects but also a broader support framework for development in border areas.
On September 30, he visited the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to request national funding and the incorporation of government plans. Notably, he urged the Ministry of Land to include improvements to the dangerous roads and bottlenecks on National Route 31 in the basic plan for the eighth phase of the project. Issues such as steep slopes, sharp curves, rockfall risks during thawing periods, and congestion due to military vehicle traffic were highlighted as areas needing improvement.
These activities represent an effort to connect local issues related to roads and disaster prevention with government plans and budgets. Mayor Choi has been expanding the scope of discussions by requesting project inclusion from government ministries and advocating for budget support and system improvements from the National Assembly.
However, visits and requests do not guarantee budget approval. The materials provided did not include the total project cost for the Jindong-ri initiative, the amount requested from the national budget, the timeline for implementation, or responses from the officials met. The actual impact on resident safety and local finances will only be confirmed once the budget inclusion and system improvements are specified.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.