Seodaemun-gu "Concerns Over Wage Arrears Due to District Council's Refusal to Review Supplementary Budget"

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 10th that due to the Seodaemun District Council's refusal to review the supplementary budget, there are concerns about delayed wages and allowances for workers at various institutions and organizations supported by the district.

Last month, the district submitted the 2023 first supplementary budget proposal to the district council's temporary session, but the review was refused due to an audit of the district council secretariat. As a result, it has become difficult to pay personnel expenses and allowances for private sector workers included in the proposal (approximately 1.3 billion KRW for 26 projects).

This has caused disruptions in wage payments for 560 workers employed at daycare centers, Healthy Family Support Centers, and Childcare Comprehensive Support Centers. Additionally, from this month, support for personnel expenses for ‘daycare centers designated as part-time childcare providers’ and ‘Seoul-type full-time teachers’ has not been smooth, causing significant difficulties.

Furthermore, red flags have been raised regarding the payment of wages for welfare workers serving the elderly and disabled, as well as veterans’ honor allowances. There are 117 workers at senior comprehensive welfare centers and senior support centers providing customized care services for the elderly, and 126 workers at comprehensive welfare centers offering specialized welfare services for people with developmental disabilities and others. The district office explained that it is also expected to face difficulties in smoothly paying veterans’ honor allowances to 3,080 national merit recipients.

Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “We repeatedly urge the district council to promptly review the supplementary budget proposal for the welfare and safety of residents and the normal operation of public facilities.”

Seodaemun-gu began an audit of the district council secretariat in May to prevent recurrence after some district council members were fined by the court in April for misappropriation of training expenses. In response, district council members affiliated with the Democratic Party stated that “the district council secretariat is not an institution affiliated with Seodaemun-gu Office, so it is not subject to the district office’s audit, and the supplementary budget review will be withheld until the illegal audit is withdrawn.”

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