Seoul Metropolitan Council Budget and Accounts Committee: "Survival Support Fund Depends on Mayor Oh Se-hoon's Will"

COVID-19 Disaster Situation Should Not Be Approached by Ordinary Standards... Approximately 10% Additional Collection Annually Compared to Market Estimates, Sufficient Available Capacity

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Generally, policies possess intentionality, value orientation, and problem-solving orientation. In other words, policies reflect the attitudes and will of the government or policymakers toward specific social issues, embody certain values, and are established to solve social problems. This is why policy is described not as a “fixed mathematical formula or science” but as a “product of philosophy and will” or a “choice containing will and values.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government officially stated that “it is difficult to allocate 3 trillion won for survival support funds considering the budget formulation procedures of local governments and the means Seoul can secure resources.” They cited ▲limited authority of the council ▲variability of revenue ▲limitations in utilizing cash assets deposited in the net surplus and funds as grounds.

In response to this explanation by Seoul City, the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Budget and Accounts Special Committee (Chairman Ho-pyeong Kim, hereafter the Committee) sharply criticized it as “merely an admission of Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s lack of will.” Along with this, they directly refuted Seoul City’s position describing the council’s survival support fund allocation as “throwing a tantrum” and strongly criticized Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s serious lack of crisis awareness.

According to the Committee, Seoul City’s local tax revenue is collected about 10% more annually than estimated, the net surplus has been pre-allocated before fiscal year-end settlement in some cases, and cash assets deposited in funds can be repurposed through review. If Mayor Oh Se-hoon has the will, these resources are sufficiently available.

The Committee also expressed strong regret over Seoul City’s citing “local council’s overreach” or “excessive increase compared to previous years” as reasons for non-allocation. Criticism followed that invoking “the locus of authority and customary administration” regarding citizens facing a survival crisis beyond medical and livelihood crises “blatantly reveals Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s level of awareness of the current situation.” The Committee emphasized that in the national disaster situation caused by COVID-19, the policymaker’s will to overcome the crisis and flexible administration are necessary.

Furthermore, the Committee pointed out that misrepresenting the council’s request for survival support fund allocation as an “excessive demand beyond budget review authority” is a very arrogant and dangerous value that “the mayor’s authority comes before the safety of citizens.” The Seoul Metropolitan Council, as the representative body of Seoul citizens, can propose and request urgent livelihood budget allocations, and Seoul City has the obligation to actively review and reflect public opinion, which is the Committee’s consistent stance.

Regarding Seoul City’s judgment that the “survival support fund” proposed by the Seoul Metropolitan Council overlaps with government disaster relief funds compensating losses, as it is a preemptive support fund providing a safety net for self-employed small business owners driven to the brink of livelihood, freelancers, special business workers, and socially vulnerable groups, the Committee dismissed this as “making excuses for refusal” and “a worthless wordplay.”

Committee Chairman Ho-pyeong Kim said, “Seoul City, which increased its budget by more than 4 trillion won compared to the previous year for mayoral campaign projects, is stubbornly refusing the survival support fund,” and raised the level of offensive by stating, “They argue the fund cannot be allocated by citing all sorts of figures, but it is nothing but deception to dilute the purpose and necessity of the survival support fund.”

Committee member Jeong-ho Shin (Democratic Party, Yangcheon 1) also stated, “Local autonomy should be closer to the administrative domain that looks after livelihoods and improves residents’ welfare than the political domain,” and strongly criticized, “Mayor Oh Se-hoon is making lame excuses despite the fact that if he has the will, he can find sufficient methods and alternatives within the administrative domain.”

Reaffirming the Seoul Metropolitan Council Budget and Accounts Special Committee’s policy to prioritize the allocation of livelihood support budgets including survival support funds along with the processing of next year’s budget bill within the year, they once again strongly urged Mayor Oh Se-hoon to “actively engage in consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Council rather than making media announcements.”

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