Pohang Mayor Lee Gang-deok Launches Final Push to Secure Inclusion of Next Year's Budget in Government Proposal

Mayor Lee's Month-Long Continuous Communication... Active Efforts to Secure National Funding

Key Projects Including Pohang-Yeongdeok Expressway Construction Requested for National Funding Support

On the 18th, Lee Gang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, met with the Ministry of Economy and Finance's Economic Budget Review Officer, Social Budget Review Officer, and key budget division chiefs to advocate for regional core projects such as the Pohang-Yeongdeok Expressway (Yeongilman Bridge) construction project, launching a final all-out effort to ensure their inclusion in the government budget proposal.

On the 18th, Lee Gang-deok, Mayor of Pohang (second from the left), explained major projects and requested active reflection in next year's budget to Hwang Soon-gwan, Director of Economic Budget Review (first from the left).

As the Ministry of Economy and Finance's budget review schedule, which began in June, approaches its final stages, Mayor Lee is meticulously ensuring that Pohang's regional budget items are fully reflected.

On this day, Mayor Lee met with Hwang Soon-gwan, Economic Budget Review Officer, to explain the region's long-awaited projects including the Pohang-Yeongdeok Expressway (Yeongilman Bridge) construction project, ▲ Yeongilman Industrial Complex industrial water supply project, ▲ Yangpo Port tourism and leisure infrastructure project, and ▲ Food Tech Convergence Research Support Center construction project, requesting their active inclusion in next year's budget.

He then proposed to Jo Yong-beom, Social Budget Review Officer, projects such as the installation of buffer retention facilities in Yeongilman Industrial Complex (zones 2, 3, and 4) to expedite infrastructure development following the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex, sewerage management area improvement projects to prevent flood damage, and the establishment of a Pohang branch of the National Central Library.

Additionally, by meeting with division chiefs from major budget offices, he urged them to ensure that projects vital to regional and national development are included. Mayor Lee strategically reiterated explanations on important projects by sector as well as contentious projects to guarantee their full reflection.

Given the government's difficult fiscal conditions, including the sound fiscal management policy and a decline in national tax revenue, which are expected to impact the region, Mayor Lee has been dedicating himself to securing national funds over the past month by frequently meeting with Ministry of Economy and Finance officials and doing his utmost until the final stage.

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, he met with Kim Wan-seop, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to actively advocate for priority projects such as the Pohang-Yeongdeok Expressway (Yeongilman Bridge) construction project. On the 8th of this month, he met with Kim Dong-il, Director of the Budget Office, to request national funding support for new projects in the coming year, continuing his busy schedule.

Mayor Lee emphasized, “Since the inclusion of budget items can change frequently during the budget review process, it is necessary to continuously monitor the situation and engage in persuasion,” adding, “I will do my best to secure the budget by actively communicating until the government budget proposal is submitted.”

Next year’s government budget is scheduled to be submitted to the National Assembly by September 1, and Pohang City plans to analyze the budget inclusion status and focus all efforts on responding to the National Assembly.

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