"Same for 17 Years, Increase the Budget" ... Ulsan, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, Busan Unite in Demand for Increased National Funding for National Sports Festival

Joint Petition Combining Opinions from 4 Cities and Provinces Submitted to Government and National Assembly

Award ceremony at the National Sports Festival cycling competition held this year in Yeongju-si, Gyeongbuk.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “Same budget for 17 years, increase the national budget for the National Sports Festival!”

Four metropolitan mayors raised their voices together, requesting an increase in the fixed amount of operating expenses for the National Sports Festival that has been supported for 17 years.

Ulsan City, the host of next year’s event, announced on the 8th that it will submit a petition signed by the mayors of Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, and Busan?who have consecutively hosted the event?to the government and the National Assembly, requesting an increase in the national budget for the festival’s operating expenses.

The joint petition from the four cities and provinces expresses the local leaders’ determination to increase the national budget before the National Assembly’s budget review schedule. It will be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

Ulsan City has continuously requested an increase in the national budget from the government and the National Assembly since early this year, based on the 50% support rate for the National Sports Festival operation standard subsidy specified in the Enforcement Decree of the Subsidy Management Act, to ensure the successful hosting of the Ulsan National Sports Festival next year.

In October, eight members of the National Assembly, including Lee Chae-ik, chairman of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, strongly urged for an increase in the national budget during their visit to the Ulsan Sports Complex.

If the national budget for the festival’s operating expenses is increased starting from next year’s Ulsan National Sports Festival, it is expected that the subsequent host cities?Jeonnam (2023), Gyeongnam (2024), Busan (2025)?as well as other local governments hosting thereafter will receive increased national budget support in turn.

Song Cheol-ho, mayor of Ulsan, said, “We thank Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, and Busan for raising their voices for an increase in the national budget for the festival’s operating expenses, which has been fixed for nearly 17 years,” and added, “We ask for comprehensive support from the government and the National Assembly for the successful hosting of the National Sports Festival.”

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