Jeonnam Province Faces 10 Trillion Won Budget Era... 1.2146 Trillion Won Supplementary Budget for Livelihood Support and More

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province is on the verge of entering the 10 trillion won budget era.

The province announced on the 20th that it submitted the first supplementary budget bill of this year, amounting to 1.2146 trillion won, to the provincial council on the 20th.

With this, the total budget size reached 10.4168 trillion won, marking the first time in history that the 10 trillion won budget era has been opened.

This is also the first time Jeonnam Province has prepared a supplementary budget exceeding 1 trillion won.

This is due to an increase in national treasury subsidy projects such as 486.2 billion won for heavy rain damage recovery and 86.5 billion won for COVID-19 response.

This supplementary budget strategically allocated resources focusing on supporting the livelihood stability of residents struggling due to COVID-19, revitalizing the stagnant local economy, and creating growth engines for the future.

In particular, to protect the lives and safety of residents from COVID-19 and various disasters, it included 3 billion won for operating COVID-19 vaccination centers, 486.2 billion won for last year's heavy rain disaster recovery projects, 7.3 billion won for disaster management and relief funds operation, and 5.3 billion won for the functional specialization of Suncheon and Gangjin medical centers and infectious disease response.

For residents struggling due to COVID-19, vouchers worth 27.1 billion won were allocated for small-scale farms and fisheries, 3 billion won for general taxi drivers, and 1.3 billion won for bus transport workers.

To support vulnerable groups facing livelihood difficulties, 22.9 billion won for temporary livelihood support and 8.1 billion won for COVID-19 living expenses were included, reflecting the government's 4th supplementary budget to strengthen support for blind spots as much as possible.

Focus was also placed on revitalizing the stagnant local economy and providing local jobs. Job opportunities will be provided through 10 billion won for the Hope Work Support Project, 6 billion won for the local-led youth job project, and 1 billion won for the establishment of the Jeonnam Job Platform.

To ease the management burden on small business owners, 9.6 billion won was allocated for interest support on small and medium enterprise management stabilization funds, 3.5 billion won for issuing local love gift certificates, and 2 billion won for interest support on small business funds.

As future-oriented growth engine projects, the budget includes 6 billion won for supporting investment companies in the province, 2.9 billion won for building a national immune therapy platform, 2 billion won for establishing the Jeonnam Tourism Platform (J-TaaS), 1.2 billion won for the future car electromagnetic wave certification evaluation system, 800 million won for building a small hydrogen fuel cell demonstration infrastructure based on e-mobility, and 180 million won for training advanced personnel in smart manufacturing.

Major new policies include 9.4 billion won for creating a smart green city to respond to climate change and strengthen greenhouse gas and fine dust measures that residents can feel, 900 million won for establishing an eco-friendly lithium secondary battery recycling technology development demonstration center, 450 million won for fostering low-carbon intelligent materials and parts, and 200 million won for creating the Jeonnam marine wetland garden.

To realize the happiness of Jeonnam residents with a people-first approach, 600 million won was allocated for career connection vouchers for women with career interruptions, 350 million won for ferry fare support of 1,000 won for island residents, 600 million won for park golf course construction support, and 400 million won for health experience activity kits for seniors and others.

To build production bases and increase income for farmers, livestock farmers, and fishermen, 4.5 billion won was allocated for creating eco-friendly agricultural complexes, 1 billion won for supporting crops damaged by cold waves such as yuzu, tea, and figs, 600 million won for supporting quarantine facilities for poultry farms, 100 million won for seaweed export logistics costs, and 100 million won for supporting the development of home meal replacement products.

Major increased projects to supplement and expand existing projects include 25 billion won for local road maintenance, 1 billion won for river basic plan establishment services, 350 million won for purchasing relics and materials of the righteous army, 2 billion won for supporting the construction of the main stadium for the 104th National Sports Festival, 700 million won for hosting the 2021 Kim Dae-jung Peace Conference, 500 million won for supporting women-friendly multi-purpose small electric carriers, and 300 million won for operating the Our Neighborhood Welfare Mobile Unit.

Myeong Chang-hwan, Director of Planning and Coordination at Jeonnam Province, said, “We have prepared an expansive budget focusing on COVID-19 damage support, resident safety against disasters, recovery of the stagnant local economy, and smooth promotion of future strategic industries. We will swiftly carry out damage recovery projects caused by last year’s heavy rain to prevent additional damage.”

Meanwhile, this supplementary budget bill is scheduled to be finalized on the 16th of next month after review and approval at the 1st regular session of the 353rd Jeonnam Provincial Council starting from the 1st of next month.

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