Local Community 'Opposes' Budget Cuts for Defense Acquisition Program Administration's Move to Daejeon

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo is holding a press conference expressing regret over the recent initial budget cut decision for the relocation of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to Daejeon by the National Assembly's National Defense Committee. Photo by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The local community is strongly opposing the significant budget cuts for the initial relocation of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to Daejeon.

According to Daejeon City on the 7th, the National Assembly's National Defense Committee recently finalized a decision to reduce next year's initial budget for DAPA's relocation to Daejeon from 21 billion KRW to 12 billion KRW, cutting 9 billion KRW.

Negative public opinion, mainly from opposition party lawmakers, against the phased relocation of DAPA to Daejeon ultimately led to the budget cuts.

The opposition lawmakers who supported the budget reduction opposed the original plan to gradually relocate the agency from next year through 2027, citing reasons such as "budget waste" and "hasty budget formulation," and instead advocated for relocating the agency all at once after the new building is completed in 2027.

However, the city is concerned that the budget cuts will delay administrative procedures such as the construction of the new building.

The budget for DAPA's relocation to Daejeon comprehensively includes costs for the basic and detailed design of the new building (planned to proceed simultaneously), and if these are cut, the basic and detailed designs will have to be conducted separately, potentially delaying the relocation timeline beyond the original schedule.

The local community's opposition is also growing. Immediately after the National Assembly's National Defense Committee decided on the budget cuts, Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo held a briefing expressing regret, calling it "a violation of the wishes of Daejeon citizens," and firmly stated his determination to protect the budget, saying, "I will take the lead in preventing the infringement and damage to Daejeon's interests."

He also said, "The advance team relocation and basic design, which are the starting points for DAPA's phased relocation, can be done with a budget of 12 billion KRW, but to proceed with the relocation swiftly, it is important to carry out the basic and detailed designs together, and for this, securing the original budget of 21 billion KRW is crucial."

The Daejeon City District Mayors' Council also expressed regret over the budget cuts for DAPA's relocation and urged restoration of the original budget.

At a press conference held the day before, the five district mayors said, "Daejeon citizens are once again hurt by the budget cuts for DAPA's relocation, barely recovering from the sense of loss and deprivation caused by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups moving to Sejong," and criticized, "Some opposition lawmakers cutting nearly half of the budget for DAPA's relocation is a behavior that completely ignores local public sentiment."

They added, "If such incidents that divide the region and mock citizens are repeated, the five district mayors are prepared to take the fight to the National Assembly," and said, "At the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee stage, the five district mayors will join forces with the Daejeon mayor and local lawmakers to restore the budget for DAPA's relocation to the original plan."

Earlier, the Daejeon Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a statement urging the normal promotion of the "DAPA relocation to Daejeon" to realize national balanced development, emphasizing the necessity of relocating public institutions such as DAPA to local areas to alleviate overpopulation in the metropolitan area and respond to the crisis of local extinction.

Meanwhile, the relocation of DAPA to Daejeon gained momentum last August when President Yoon Seok-yeol promised Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo to increase the initial budget for the relocation from 12 billion KRW to 21 billion KRW and to prioritize the early transfer of about 300 TF personnel for the agency's relocation.

Ultimately, the National Assembly's National Defense Committee's budget cut for DAPA's initial relocation budget effectively reverted the budget increased by the president back to its original amount. Locally, there are complaints that the opposition party is obstructing the agency relocation, which is being promoted based on the president's promise, thereby causing delays.

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