Hapcheon County Council Begins Review of Supplementary Budget Proposal... Opening of the 257th Extraordinary Session

Resolution Adopted Urging Withdrawal of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Plant Radioactive Contaminated Water Discharge Decision

The 257th Hapcheon County Council Temporary Session 1st Plenary Meeting [Image Source=Hapcheon County Council]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The Hapcheon County Council in Gyeongnam opened the 257th extraordinary session on the morning of the 1st and began a 10-day session.

The agenda items to be reviewed during this session include 17 items such as the 2nd supplementary budget proposal submitted by the Hapcheon County Governor and the consent proposal for local tax reduction on high-end entertainment establishments to support COVID-19, as well as a total of 21 items including the amended ordinances proposed respectively by Councilors Choi Jeong-ok and Jeong Bong-hoon.

The 2nd supplementary budget proposal was submitted with a total of approximately 700.7 billion KRW, an increase of about 24.2 billion KRW compared to the 1st supplementary budget. Governor Moon Jun-hee stated in his proposal explanation, “It was organized with a focus on long-term COVID-19 response, regional development, citizen safety, and resolving inconveniences.”

On the same day, the County Council adopted the “Resolution Urging the Withdrawal of Japan’s Decision to Discharge Radioactive Contaminated Water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant” to support the growing domestic and international opposition from neighboring countries following the Japanese government’s announcement in April to discharge radioactive contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

In the resolution, the County Council urged “the Japanese government to immediately stop all actions threatening the global marine ecosystem and the safety of our citizens” and “our government to actively respond to block Japan’s ocean discharge.”

Additionally, through county administration questions, Councilor Kwon Young-sik asked the governor about the reasons for the delay in the public opinion survey related to the renaming of Ilhae Park, whether the park’s name would be changed based on the survey results, and the intention to change the park’s name considering the tourism image of Hapcheon.

Governor Moon Jun-hee replied, “To fairly and transparently hear the thoughts of the citizens, six local media outlets are jointly promoting the related procedures, and a public opinion survey will be conducted by a professional research company after Chuseok, a period with relatively high response rates.”

Governor Moon added, “Rather than hastily drawing a unilateral conclusion on whether to change or retain the name, we will carefully consider the timing and methods so that citizens can understand and handle the matter appropriately.”

Councilor Jang Jin-young requested a 5-minute free speech, stating, “Regarding the partial amendment ordinance for the establishment and operation of the Hapcheon County Facilities Management Corporation, I hope that careful review will be conducted so that the corporation can be established amid the interest and applause of the citizens.”

Chairperson Bae Mong-hee, in her opening remarks, said, “With more than 1,000 COVID-19 confirmed cases continuing to occur, even the customs of the holidays are changing,” and urged, “As we approach Chuseok, when citizen movement is high, please make thorough preparations for comprehensive holiday measures including quarantine so that citizens can have a safe holiday without any neighbors being left out.”

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