Concerns have been raised that the public relations budget of Gwangju, a special city in South Jeolla Province, should be governed by objective and transparent standards to avoid being perceived as a means of rewarding or pressuring specific media outlets.
During the first regular session of the third meeting on September 9, Park Mun-ok, a member of the Gwangju City Council from the Democratic Party, focused on the fairness of public relations spending and the effectiveness of the public information project for the 2025 fiscal year.
Park first addressed the execution of the public relations budget in the spokesperson's office during the supplementary budget review, stating, "If the public relations funds are not genuinely needed, they should be decisively cut in this supplementary budget."
He emphasized the need for clear principles in the budget execution process, considering the potential impact of local government advertising on the management of regional media outlets.
Park Mun-ok noted, "Public relations funds from local governments are a significant source of income for media outlets and can influence their management. If advertising funds are withheld for a period and then concentrated on media outlets that publish favorable articles, it could be perceived as an attempt to control the press."
However, Park clarified that his comments were not pointing to any specific incidents in the special city.
He stated, "While this may not be a case in the special city, the mere circumstances could lead to misunderstandings, so we must be cautious in our actions. We need to establish clear and objective execution principles to prevent public relations funds from being seen as a means of rewarding or pressuring specific media outlets."
Park also referenced the budget management examples of 10.2 billion won from the former South Jeolla Province spokesperson's office and 11.2 billion won from the former Gwangju City media officer, arguing for enhanced transparency in public relations budget execution following the merger.
In response, Lee Sang-yong, spokesperson for the Gwangju special city, stated, "We will pay special attention to public relations budget expenditures to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings."
Park called for a review of the effectiveness of the public information project, which has a budget of 793 million won.
He insisted that the focus should be on actual subscription rates and the effectiveness of policy information delivery, suggesting a reevaluation of the paper-based publication method in light of changing information consumption environments centered on mobile and social media.
As specific improvement measures, he proposed expanding subscription applications and utilizing digital platforms such as KakaoTalk and mobile services. This would reduce printing and mailing costs, allowing the saved funds to be used for other administrative services.
Park remarked, "The budget review process is not just about confirming past expenditures but is also a means to ensure more efficient use of the budget. With the launch of the special city, we should reassess all public relations projects based on efficiency, citizen accessibility, and effectiveness."
Additionally, the budget review raised the issue of how to adjust and execute public relations projects that were previously operated separately before the merger. Park emphasized the need to enhance the transparency and efficiency of public relations policies after the merger by examining the effectiveness of existing projects and the criteria for budget execution.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.