Gyeonggi-do to Decide on 'Nationwide Disaster Relief Fund' This Week

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] As Gyeonggi Province is considering providing disaster relief funds to the top 12% of Gyeonggi residents with high incomes who were excluded from the government's 5th disaster relief fund, with the province and 31 local cities and counties sharing the financial burden, a final decision on this matter is expected as early as this week.

According to the Gyeonggi Province Mayors and Governors Council on the 10th, the council delivered a proposal regarding the disaster relief fund to Gyeonggi Province under the name of Kwak Sang-wook, Mayor of Osan and chairman of the council, through an SNS chat room that includes Governor Lee Jae-myung and heads of 31 cities and counties on the 6th.

In the proposal, the council argued that disaster relief funds should be provided to all residents, but considering the financial capacity of each city and county, the province should bear 80% to the full amount of the support depending on the region. Currently, seven cities including Suwon, Yongin, Seongnam, Hwaseong, Bucheon, Namyangju, and Ansan oppose providing disaster relief funds to all residents due to financial burdens.

The council stated, first, for Group A, which includes six cities?Suwon, Yongin, Seongnam, Hwaseong, Siheung, and Hanam?the province should bear the entire cost of the disaster relief funds for the top 12% income earners.

These six areas have low government grants, and it is difficult to secure additional budgets as they already require their own budgets to provide the government’s 5th disaster relief funds: Suwon 21.9 billion KRW, Yongin 21.5 billion KRW, Seongnam 18.9 billion KRW, Hwaseong 18.5 billion KRW, Siheung 1.8 billion KRW, and Hanam 5.2 billion KRW.

Group B, consisting of four cities?Ansan, Anyang, Bucheon, and Goyang?argues that the province should bear 80% of the financial burden for the top 12%, and if the city’s own budget is insufficient, the province should cover the additional costs.

In fact, Ansan City receives 17.8 billion KRW in grants, but after deducting the local government’s burden of 14.4 billion KRW for payments to the bottom 88% income earners, only 3.4 billion KRW remains, which is far from sufficient if the target is expanded to all citizens.

The remaining 21 cities and counties have requested that the province’s share of the disaster relief fund for the top 12% be subdivided into 80%, 85%, and 90% to provide support tailored to each region’s circumstances.

The council is optimistic that Governor Lee Jae-myung, who has emphasized the justification for universal payments, will provide disaster relief funds to all residents unless there are major variables such as budget issues.

Regarding this, a provincial official stated, "Considering the timing of the third supplementary budget preparation and the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly’s review, which will reflect the disaster relief fund budget, a final decision on whether to provide disaster relief funds to all residents is expected before the 13th."

He added, "Regardless of support or opposition, most cities and counties believe the province should bear as much of the budget as possible due to budget shortages. Whether the province has the capacity to shoulder the enormous financial burden for the top 12% requires careful review and analysis."

Meanwhile, on the 2nd, at a press briefing held by the Democratic Party’s Daejeon City Branch, Governor Lee Jae-myung indirectly hinted at the policy of providing disaster relief funds to 100% of Gyeonggi residents, saying, "It is normal for central government policies and local government policies to differ, and if we were to do exactly the same as the central government, there would be no reason for local autonomy."

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