The Democratic Party of Korea pledged on September 14 to support Gangwon Province as much as possible in terms of next year's budget during a budget policy meeting held at the Gangwon Provincial Office.
Party leader Kim Min-seok introduced Lee Kwang-jae, the chair of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, stating, "If things go well, it will be thanks to Chairman Lee, and if not, he will take the blame. We will provide all authority and responsibility to support Gangwon Province."
In this context, Lee emphasized, "If we amend the Sports Promotion Act to allow the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation to operate and manage the facilities used during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Gangwon can open new avenues for tourism and sports. If the Korea Tourism Organization, headquartered in Wonju, can engage in projects similar to those in the past, it will benefit Gangwon Province greatly."
He also mentioned the ongoing efforts to connect the metropolitan area express train (GTX) to Wonju, stating, "It is very important for Gangwon Province to have railway connections. I hope Gangwon becomes a province with connected railways."
Gangwon Governor Woo Sang-ho expressed concerns to the party leadership, saying, "The estimated allocation of local transfer tax for Gangwon is about 500 billion won, but considering the allocation of the Future Response Fund, we expect to receive only about 100 billion won. If the Future Response Fund is not significantly utilized in Gangwon, it could lead to a phenomenon of decreased tax revenue."
Regarding the linkage of local funds to projects funded by the national government, he suggested, "As we secure more national funding, the projects that local governors can plan become limited. It would be beneficial to clearly define the areas for projects linked to local funds and those fully funded by the national government."
In response, Kim agreed, stating, "We need to ensure that Gangwon's projects are reasonably reflected in fund management to avoid the paradox of fund allocation."
Party leader Kim Min-seok introduced Lee Kwang-jae, the chair of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, stating, "If things go well, it will be thanks to Chairman Lee, and if not, he will take the blame. We will provide all authority and responsibility to support Gangwon Province."
In this context, Lee emphasized, "If we amend the Sports Promotion Act to allow the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation to operate and manage the facilities used during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Gangwon can open new avenues for tourism and sports. If the Korea Tourism Organization, headquartered in Wonju, can engage in projects similar to those in the past, it will benefit Gangwon Province greatly."
He also mentioned the ongoing efforts to connect the metropolitan area express train (GTX) to Wonju, stating, "It is very important for Gangwon Province to have railway connections. I hope Gangwon becomes a province with connected railways."
Gangwon Governor Woo Sang-ho expressed concerns to the party leadership, saying, "The estimated allocation of local transfer tax for Gangwon is about 500 billion won, but considering the allocation of the Future Response Fund, we expect to receive only about 100 billion won. If the Future Response Fund is not significantly utilized in Gangwon, it could lead to a phenomenon of decreased tax revenue."
Regarding the linkage of local funds to projects funded by the national government, he suggested, "As we secure more national funding, the projects that local governors can plan become limited. It would be beneficial to clearly define the areas for projects linked to local funds and those fully funded by the national government."
In response, Kim agreed, stating, "We need to ensure that Gangwon's projects are reasonably reflected in fund management to avoid the paradox of fund allocation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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