Jung Da-eun, Gwangju City Council Member, "Difficulties in Establishing National Trauma Center, etc."

Government Budget Cuts... Direct Hit to Presidential Campaign Promises Unavoidable

Concerns have been raised that the promotion of projects related to the May 18 Democratic Uprising, a campaign promise of President Yoon Suk-yeol, has hit a roadblock due to budget cuts.

On the 13th, Jeong Da-eun, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party, Buk-gu 2), stated during an administrative audit targeting the Gwangju Metropolitan City Democracy, Peace and Human Rights Bureau, “Many local governments are struggling due to significant budget cuts under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, but in particular, Gwangju’s May 18-related projects are effectively at a crossroads of comprehensive downsizing.”

Jeong highlighted two representative cases of budget cuts during the administrative audit: the establishment of the ‘National Trauma Center’ and the ‘May 18 International Research Institute.’ Both projects were presidential campaign promises.

In the case of the National Trauma Center, the feasibility study initially recommended an appropriate organizational size of 60 personnel with an annual budget of 6.1 billion KRW, but the 2024 government budget proposal reduced this to 13 personnel and 1.6 billion KRW. This is only slightly different from the 2023 Gwangju Trauma Center’s organizational size of 13 personnel and an annual budget of 1.35 billion KRW.

Considering that the number of registered trauma center patients in Gwangju was 1,131 this year, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s basic plan research project estimates that the number of patients will increase to 6,300 within one year and 19,000 within three years, Jeong explained that under the government’s budget proposal, the National Trauma Center’s operation aligned with its project goals is uncertain.

The May 18 International Research Institute was initially expected to be established as a separate national institution, but in reality, it has been set up within the May 18 Foundation with only three staff members, severely reducing the status and scale promised by President Yoon to the citizens of Gwangju. Given its scale, it is inappropriate to expect international activities, and with the 2024 operating budget also cut, normal operations appear difficult.

Jeong said, “It is regrettable that following the repeated appointment of officials who distort and belittle May 18 to key government institutions since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, even the major budgets related to May 18 have been cut. I worry that President Yoon believes that simply attending the May 18 commemorations twice fulfills the state’s obligations regarding May 18.”

She continued, “We had expected that through the National Trauma Center and the May 18 International Research Institute, the state would take responsibility for victims of state violence and make every effort to prevent recurrence, contributing to the establishment of democracy in the Republic of Korea, but those expectations are now like a dream. I am outraged that the president has effectively broken his campaign promises and is mocking Gwangju.”

Meanwhile, Jeong Da-eun plans to take action involving civil society organizations beyond the Gwangju Metropolitan Council to prevent the government’s budget cuts related to May 18.

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