Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum: "The province never instructed to cover the cost of the Live Together groundbreaking ceremony"

Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum expressed frustration over some media reports that raised controversy about excessive protocol at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Live Together project.

Chungnam Province is investing 393 billion KRW in the Naepo New City as part of youth housing welfare, carrying out the Chungnam-style urban Live Together project.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held last April, but some media outlets reported that several hundred million KRW were spent on the ceremony assuming President Yoon Seok-yeol’s attendance, sparking controversy over excessive protocol.

On the 20th, at the 3rd plenary session of the 352nd regular meeting, Governor Kim responded to a question from Assemblyman An Jang-heon (Democratic Party, Asan 5) about the costs of the Live Together groundbreaking ceremony, saying, "The province never gave any instructions, and since it was not our expense, we do not know how much was spent."

He added, "Since it was also done at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dream Bichae rental housing during the 7th elected administration, I heard it was done this time as well, as it is customary for private contractors to prepare it."

Assemblyman An said, "I regret that the explanation was insufficient, leading to the evaluation of excessive protocol," and added, "In the future, if the direction and evaluation of provincial administration are distorted by untrue information, efforts to clarify the truth thoroughly will be necessary."

He also emphasized, "For projects as meaningful as Live Together, it is important that the core goal of helping ordinary citizens secure their own homes is well communicated," and stressed, "Rather than explaining the project’s purpose by the scale of the event, more focus should be placed on the essence of the project."

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