Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin expressed regret on November 3 over the complete budget cut for the UN Sustainable Transport Forum.
On this day, Mayor Shin stated, "The budget of 550 million won for the '17th Asia High-Level Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum,' scheduled for March 2027, has been entirely cut by the council."
Following the decision made during the first session of the 314th Seongnam City Council's extraordinary meeting on October 30, Mayor Shin is concerned that the international event, which has been pursued in collaboration with UN agencies, will face significant disruptions.
The forum is set to take place from March 16 to 19, 2027, at Seongnam City Hall, with approximately 300 participants expected, including government representatives at the ministerial level from 40 to 50 Asian countries and domestic and international experts.
This forum is the first international conference that Mayor Shin has secured in cooperation with UN agencies and is a major international event in the field of sustainable transport held in South Korea for the first time in 18 years since 2009.
The UN Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), which is organizing the forum, is an agency under the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs that supports international cooperation for regional development and sustainable development.
Since November 2025, Mayor Shin has been negotiating with UNCRD regarding the event and laid the groundwork for international cooperation by visiting the UN headquarters in July to ensure a successful forum.
Mayor Shin expects that this forum will not only facilitate the hosting of international events but also promote Seongnam's advanced technology and industrial capabilities to the world, expanding opportunities for global cooperation.
In particular, he highlighted the expected benefits, including revitalization of local businesses due to the visit of foreign government representatives and experts, economic effects for small businesses, and expanded opportunities for local companies to enter overseas markets.
He stated, "If the event is canceled, the international trust built with UN agencies will be diminished, negatively impacting future international event hosting and international cooperation projects."
Mayor Shin explained that the 550 million won budget was the minimum necessary for local event operations, conditioned on UN covering the airfare and accommodation costs for overseas participants.
Above all, he emphasized that since this project has been prepared through long-term discussions with international organizations, the necessity of hosting the event, international trust, and the ripple effects on the local economy should be comprehensively considered for a budget review.
Meanwhile, Mayor Shin remarked, "This forum is an important opportunity to elevate Seongnam's international status and expand the competitiveness of advanced industries and growth opportunities for the local economy to the world," adding, "The trust and cooperation built over a long time with UN agencies should not be jeopardized due to budget issues."
He further urged the city council to reconsider the budget positively, transcending political interests for the common goal of expanding international cooperation and revitalizing the local economy.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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