The structure of increasing local financial burdens alongside securing national funding was a key topic during the administrative audit of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council.
While local governments can receive national funding by being selected for government projects, the corresponding local financial contributions they must bear also increase.
Concerns were raised regarding Gyeongnam's financial management, which requires cutting budgets for existing projects while securing new ones amid deteriorating revenue conditions.
On November 10, the Gyeongnam Provincial Council's Planning and Administration Committee conducted an administrative audit focusing on the management of project funding, financial soundness, administrative integration in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region, and the operation of provincial government promotion budgets.
Lawmaker Jo Hyun-sin (People Power Party, Jinju 3) cited a post on the provincial labor union's website, pointing out that the province's financial management is causing confusion among field officials.
"On one hand, we are told to secure national funding and discover new projects, but on the other hand, there are indications that new projects are not being reflected and existing projects are being cut," Jo said. "This reflects the current financial reality of Gyeongnam."
The gap between national funding achievements and actual financial capacity also became a point of contention.
Lawmaker Lee Kwan-maeng (People Power Party, Ham-an 1) stated, "Securing the largest amount of national funding in 2027 is an important achievement, but as national funding increases, the burden of matching local funding also rises," urging for revenue expansion, expenditure restructuring, and prioritization of projects.
Calls were made to strengthen the preliminary verification process for project funding.
Lawmaker Kim Tae-jong (People Power Party, Tongyeong 2) questioned the effectiveness of the preliminary review system operated under Gyeongnam's project funding management ordinance. He emphasized, "It appears that the preliminary review for project funding is being conducted in a formal manner. Given the financial difficulties, we must strictly evaluate to ensure only essential projects are pursued."
There is a growing awareness that local financial burdens and necessary resources for maintaining projects should be examined after project funding selection.
However, the materials presented during the audit did not include the scale of local financial burdens for each project or the results of preliminary review failures, indicating a need for further verification to assess the actual level of financial pressure.
Lawmaker Park Joo-eon (People Power Party, Geochang 1) mentioned the potential advantages and disadvantages by region under the local preferential index set to be implemented next year. He urged for proactive measures to reduce Gyeongnam's financial burden, as this system is designed to respond to local tax reductions.
Debate also continued regarding the direction of inter-regional cooperation in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam area.
Lawmaker Park Jun-ho (Democratic Party, Gimhae 7) pointed out the temperature difference between the push for a mega-city in Busan and Ulsan and discussions on administrative integration in Gyeongnam.
"Busan and Ulsan want a mega-city, but only Gyeongnam is discussing administrative integration," Park said. "We are missing the trend of competing with global cities. The governor's commitment is not visible."
Lawmaker Gu Myung-soon (People Power Party, proportional) also referenced Busan's commitment to a special alliance confirmed at a recent joint event, demanding a swift response from Gyeongnam.
Gu stated, "Since the governor has expressed a willingness for administrative integration, Gyeongnam must also act quickly."
Administrative integration and special alliances differ in terms of the integration of local governments and the distribution of authority. The inquiries on this day highlighted that, while there is consensus on the need for cooperation in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam area, aligning specific approaches remains a challenge among regions.
During the audit concerning the public relations office, support for local media and the execution of advertising budgets were major issues.
Lawmaker Kim Hye-rim (Democratic Party, Yangsan 2) requested expanded support, citing rising production and labor costs for comprehensive cable broadcasting responsible for local-focused programming.
Lawmaker Yoo Gye-hyun (People Power Party, Jinju 4) criticized the dispersed advertising execution methods across departments. He called for the public relations office to manage the timing and selection of media for advertising in a unified manner to enhance budget execution efficiency.
Lawmaker Kim Kyung-soo (Democratic Party, Gimhae 6) proposed management standards for the provincial promotional character 'Byeori.'
Since the character is allowed for use by local businesses and small enterprises, he suggested that a regulation be established to revoke or demand cessation of use if it damages the province's image or is used for purposes other than approval.
Lawmaker Lee Sang-yeol (Democratic Party, Yangsan 1) called for the establishment of selection criteria for media support that would replace the standards set by the Korea ABC Association. He emphasized the need to ensure equity and fairness among media outlets during the introduction of new criteria.
This audit highlighted the need to reassess financial management overly focused on securing national funding and to closely examine local financial burdens from the project funding selection stage.
In the area of provincial government promotion, the integration of advertising budget management and ensuring fairness in media support criteria were identified as areas for improvement.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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