Gang Jin-won, Gangjin County Governor, Visits National Assembly to Request Increased National Budget

Damage Compensation Appraisal for Shellfish Decline in Gangjin Bay, Creation of Wolchulsan Ecological Exploration Center, etc.

[Gangjin=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-su] As the National Assembly's budget review for the 2023 government budget has begun in earnest, Gangjin County Governor Kang Jin-won visited the National Assembly on the 4th to explain the necessity of local pending projects and to secure next year's national funding.

Governor Kang visited the offices of Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Young-duk, a member of the Budget and Accounts Special Committee's Gwangju-Jeonnam Subcommittee; People Power Party Honam Companion lawmaker Seo Jeong-sook, a member of the Health and Welfare Committee; Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Kyu-baek, a member of the National Defense Committee; and local district lawmaker Kim Seung-nam to explain the necessity of local pending projects and strongly request the inclusion of national funds.

The main proposed projects are ▲ 100 million KRW for appraisal evaluation of compensation for shellfish decline damage in Gangjin Bay (total project cost 200 million KRW) ▲ 1.5 billion KRW for the construction of the access road to the 3rd Battalion of the 8536th Unit (total project cost 2 billion KRW) ▲ 500 million KRW for compensation for losses at the Baegundong Garden Exhibition Hall in Gangjin (total project cost 500 million KRW) ▲ 300 million KRW for drainage improvement in the Sinjeon Songchon district (total project cost 11 billion KRW) ▲ 700 million KRW for maintenance of the main sewage pipeline (interceptor) in the Gangjin treatment area (total project cost 18.8 billion KRW) ▲ 10 billion KRW for the creation of an ecological exploration center at Wolchulsan National Park (total project cost 40 billion KRW), totaling six projects and 13.1 billion KRW.

The proposed appraisal evaluation project for compensation of shellfish decline damage in Gangjin Bay aims to identify the causal relationship and damage rate of shellfish decline to provide reasonable compensation to fishermen. The access road construction project for the 3rd Battalion of the 8539th Unit is intended to build a bypass road for residents' safety and convenience due to the high risk of traffic accidents caused by the existing narrow access road.

Additionally, Governor Kang explained the necessity of compensation support for the Baegundong Garden Exhibition Hall, whose construction was halted due to an administrative order from the Cultural Heritage Administration; the drainage condition improvement project in the Sinjeon Songchon district, an area prone to frequent flooding; and the detailed design service fee for blocking large amounts of river water inflow through the interceptor pipeline buried outside the river and for the smooth operation of sewage treatment facilities.

The creation of the ecological exploration center at Wolchulsan National Park is a crucial project to increase national park usage, attract tourists, revitalize the stagnant local economy, and improve the future growth engine of Gangjin County and the quality of life for its citizens.

Governor Kang said, "For financially strained Gangjin County, securing national and provincial funds is not an option but a necessity to resolve major pending projects," adding, "We will concentrate all administrative efforts to ensure that national funds are reflected as much as possible during the National Assembly review process."

Gangjin=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-su gabrielw@asiae.co.kr

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