Ulsan City Meets with Kim Gi-hyeon, People Power Party Leader, to Discuss Budget

Report on Key Project Status and Discussion on National Budget Securing Strategy
Plans to Contact Opposition Lawmakers from the Budget Committee

On the 27th, Ahn Hyo-dae, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan City, visited members of the National Assembly to jointly explore ways to secure budget for national projects in 2024.

This visit was pursued as a two-track strategy to gain support at the National Assembly level, following Ulsan City's visit to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 21st to secure budgets for projects reflected in the central government departments' plans.

It is a slightly faster preparation than usual for responding to budget increases at the National Assembly stage, which follows the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s review conducted until the end of August.

On the afternoon of the same day, Deputy Mayor Ahn plans to meet sequentially with Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, and local members of the National Assembly. The Director of Planning and Coordination, Director of Economic Affairs, Director of Industry, and Director of Construction and Housing will also meet to explain key projects.

At this meeting, they plan to share the status of major projects reflected in central government departments as mentioned during the previous budget policy consultation and discuss joint response methods with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, requesting cooperation to ensure that the national budget is firmly reflected at the Ministry stage.

The explanation will focus on newly proposed projects positively reviewed by central government departments, including ▲ Establishment of an underground pipeline site safety management system in Ulsan National Industrial Complex ▲ Comprehensive maintenance project for flood and water disaster living zones in Seosaeng District ▲ Construction of a chemical recycling (depolymerization) testbed in Ulsan ▲ Establishment of a hydrogen construction and industrial machinery evaluation platform ▲ Support project for training specialized personnel in marine mobility ▲ Commercialization of multi-omics-based personalized diagnosis and treatment technology for intractable cancers ▲ Opening of access roads to the general industrial complex near Ulsan KTX station area ▲ Customized integrated river projects for the region ▲ Urban garden-based infrastructure construction projects ▲ Removal of flammable substances in mountain-adjacent areas around the petrochemical complex ▲ Construction of the second memorial house at Ulsan Sky Park.

Additionally, they will report on the progress of regional pending projects such as ▲ Promotion of designation of Ulsan as a specialized distributed energy area ▲ National integrated bio big data construction project ▲ Increase in the quota of Ulsan National University College of Medicine.

Following this, through a meeting with Lee Dal-gon, member of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts (People Power Party), they will seek support at the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee level. They will also meet with Kang Hoon-sik, secretary of the Budget and Accounts Special Committee (Democratic Party), Park Jung, chair of the Environment and Labor Committee (Democratic Party), and visit the office of Seo Sam-seok, chair of the Budget and Accounts Special Committee (Democratic Party), to request bipartisan support at the National Assembly level.

Deputy Mayor Ahn Hyo-dae emphasized, “From early July, when the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s review of new projects begins, the ‘heated’ budget securing battle will start, so a flawless strategy is needed.” He added, “Until mid-August, when the review effectively ends, we will monitor the review trends daily and collaborate with members of the National Assembly to thoroughly protect the budgets secured at the ministry stage.”

Ulsan City plans to hold a budget policy consultation meeting with the central party of the People Power Party at Ulsan City Hall on July 5, requesting active interest and support from the party leadership for next year’s core projects.

Ulsan City Hall exterior view. (Photo by Ulsan City Hall)

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