There Were Local Government Heads Without a Single Won of Business Promotion Expenses for 5 Years

Busan Gijang County Mayor Oh Gyuseok Does Not Allocate County Office Expense Budget for Next Year... 'Zero' Since 2017
Deputy Mayor and Four Directors Also Allocate About One-Third of the Limit for Institutional Operation Expense Budget

Busan Gijang County Governor Oh Gyu-seok inspecting the damage area of Woljeon Village in Gijang County, Busan during the recent typhoon. [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Splitting the bill for meals and paying individually for tea.

At first glance, this local government head might seem stingy(?), but he has long been known for practicing ‘Dutch pay.’ For nearly 10 years, he has been paying for his own meals, so he is not a miser.

Since four years ago, he completely abolished the business promotion expenses, leaving no funds for official expenses, so even when taking care of employees’ family events, he paid out of his own pocket.

This is the story of Oh Gyu-seok, the mayor of Busan’s Gijang County. If you thought he was a ‘Jarin-gobi’ (miser) who is stingy with others because he hates spending money, you are mistaken.

It is wrong to accuse a public official who spends his own money instead of government funds.

On the 23rd, Gijang County announced that it will not allocate a single won for the mayor’s business promotion expenses for the next year. The mayor’s business promotion expenses have disappeared from the local government budget items. Mayor Oh’s business promotion budget has been frozen since 2017.

From July 1, 2010, when he took office, until 2017, the annual limit for the mayor’s business promotion expenses (from 2018, integrated limits by position were applied) was 52.8 million KRW.

Mayor Oh spent 1.396 million KRW in his inaugural year, 14.6 million KRW in 2011, 19.619 million KRW in 2012, 30.62 million KRW in 2013, 14.968 million KRW in 2014, 16.535 million KRW in 2015, and 4.8 million KRW in 2016. He spent far less than the limit each year.

Looking at Mayor Oh’s business promotion expenses from 2017 onward is astonishing: 0 KRW in 2017, 0 KRW in 2018, 0 KRW in 2019, and 0 KRW in 2020. The streak of zero spending has continued for four years up to this year.

Gijang County also allocated only one-third of the budget limit for departmental policy business promotion expenses: 77.1 million KRW out of the 253 million KRW limit in 2018, 72 million KRW out of 254 million KRW in 2019, and 77.1 million KRW out of 254 million KRW in 2020.

In 2021, Gijang County plans to continue saving the budget by allocating about one-third of the limit, 76.1 million KRW.

In 2017, Gijang County allocated only one-third of the limit for operational business promotion expenses for the deputy county head, grade 4 directors, town and township heads, health center directors, and agricultural technology center directors.

From 2018, the limits for operational business promotion expenses by position were integrated, but Gijang County plans to allocate only one-third of the 2017 limit for the deputy county head, directors, town and township heads, health center directors, and agricultural technology center directors in 2018, 2019, 2020, and next year, 2021.

Details of Business Promotion Expenses for the Mayor of Gijang-gun, Busan.

Since taking office in 2010, Mayor Oh has returned every single leftover travel allowance from about 487 out-of-office trips without keeping a penny. The total amount of returned travel allowances so far is about 9 million KRW.

An executive official from Gijang County said, “The mayor’s philosophy and stubbornness is that government money should be saved and used only when residents truly need it.”

This has become a reality this year. During the COVID-19 crisis, Gijang County generously distributed masks and hand sanitizers to residents four times free of charge.

Mayor Oh said, “Dasan Jeong Yak-yong said in Mokminsimseo that the way for local officials to love their people is through frugality. Public officials must fear wasting taxpayers’ money.”

He added, “Lee Kuan Yew, who made Singapore the world’s top city today, consistently emphasized the ‘white shirt’ of public officials, meaning integrity. One of the driving forces behind South Korea’s growth is the integrity of public officials.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.