Boseong County Confirms 658.6 Billion Won Budget for Next Year

Published 18 Dec.2023 14:32(KST)

Budget Increase Rate of 6.18% Despite Government Austerity Measures

On the 18th, Boseong County in Jeollanam-do announced that it had finalized the 2024 main budget at 658.6 billion KRW after the resolution of the 3rd plenary session of the 299th regular meeting of the Boseong County Council held at the Boseong County Council.

Despite the unavoidable fiscal tightening due to a decrease in tax revenue, Boseong County's 2024 budget increased by 38.4 billion KRW (6.18%) compared to the 2023 main budget of 620.2 billion KRW, recording the highest budget growth rate in Jeollanam-do.

[Photo by Boseong-gun]

The main factors for the increase include a 33.2 billion KRW (13.86%) rise in national and provincial subsidies compared to this year's main budget, with the special account for water and sewage sectors seeing a significant increase of 22.9 billion KRW from the previous year to 81.2 billion KRW, accounting for a large portion of the 2024 budget growth rate.

The 2024 general account stands at 572.8 billion KRW, up 16.9 billion KRW (3.04%) from the previous year, and the special account is 85.8 billion KRW, an increase of 21.4 billion KRW (33.31%).

Key projects by sector include 2 billion KRW for the installation of home receivers for village broadcasting in general administration, safety, and education; 2.1 billion KRW to strengthen local educational infrastructure; 4.9 billion KRW for natural disaster risk improvement district maintenance; 1 billion KRW for the Beolgyo Bongnim flood and storm damage comprehensive maintenance project; and 2.3 billion KRW for the operation of the integrated resident safety control center.

In particular, despite a significant reduction in government youth budget support, Boseong County plans to allocate and promote 600 million KRW of youth-related budgets as independent projects, including youth business succession support, follow-up support for youth startups, youth farm diary project job support, and operation of the Nokchagol Youth Mall.

In the culture and tourism sector, the budget includes 2.5 billion KRW for the creation of the Seopyeonje Boseong Sound Performance Hall, 1.5 billion KRW for repairs to the Chaedongseon Music Hall stage facilities, 1.5 billion KRW for the Boseong Yeolseonru Park and exhibition sculpture project, 800 million KRW for the construction of the Boseong National Defense Exhibition Hall, 600 million KRW for the Boseong Sinheung Hill project, and 1.4 billion KRW for the Boseong Tea Plantation tourism resource development project.

In social welfare and health sectors, the budget strengthens welfare for socially vulnerable groups with allocations of 53.8 billion KRW for basic pensions, 11.9 billion KRW for livelihood benefits, 7.5 billion KRW for expanding senior citizen jobs and social activity support, 4 billion KRW for infant care fees and childcare staff salaries, 5.5 billion KRW for disability activity support benefits, 2.5 billion KRW for disability pensions, and 1.1 billion KRW for disability welfare facility function enhancement projects.

Additionally, a new budget of 200 million KRW has been allocated for youth and adolescent cultural festivals to provide a platform for local youth unity and cultural exchange.

In the agriculture, forestry, marine, and fisheries sectors, the budget includes 25.5 billion KRW for public interest direct payment support, 6.4 billion KRW for farmer and fisherman public interest allowances, 4.5 billion KRW for high-quality rice distribution activation projects, 3.8 billion KRW for the Fishing Village New Deal 300 Project (Hosan Port), 1.7 billion KRW for the Boseong Bibong Marine Tourism Integrated Network, 2.8 billion KRW for the Boseong Marine Leisure Tourism Hub Project, 1.3 billion KRW for the Yulpo Comprehensive Recreation Area marine tourism resource facility, 2.2 billion KRW for the Honam Jeongmaek Hanchi-jae ecological axis mountain forest restoration project, 10 billion KRW for small-scale regional development and resident participation projects, and 5.3 billion KRW for the Beolgyo-eup rural central revitalization project.

In the environmental sector, the budget includes 3 billion KRW for the marine mudflat ecological network establishment and trail construction project, 2.1 billion KRW for the Boseong mudflat restoration project, 6.1 billion KRW for aged water supply network maintenance, 7.7 billion KRW for rural living water development projects, 16.5 billion KRW for Boseong urban flood pipeline maintenance, 5.9 billion KRW for Beolgyo sewage pipeline maintenance, and 20.8 billion KRW for village sewage system maintenance, reflecting a large allocation for water and sewage sectors to respond to climate change and manage clean water.

In regional development, transportation, and industry sectors, the budget includes 3 billion KRW for local love gift certificate issuance support, 3.4 billion KRW for new and renewable energy convergence support projects, 1.1 billion KRW for the construction of the Josong Industrial Complex Multipurpose Cultural Center, 6.7 billion KRW for small stream maintenance projects, and 1.9 billion KRW for urban regeneration New Deal projects, aiming to revitalize the local economy and improve regional living conditions.

Kim Cheol-woo, the mayor of Boseong County, said, “Although most local governments are adopting conservative budget allocations due to the government's fiscal tightening policy, Boseong County will actively promote major large-scale projects, livelihood stabilization, and regional economic revitalization projects in 2024 based on the 150 billion KRW fiscal stabilization fund accumulated so far.”