Jo Okhyun of Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Calls for Improvements in Budget Underutilization and Settlement Delays

Criticism Raised at Jeonnam Culture and Prosperity Bureau's Settlement Review
Provincial Gugak Orchestra Leaves 500 Million Won in Personnel Budget Unspent
Projects Such as Living Culture Centers Fail for Two Consecutive Years

Jo Okhyun, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Mokpo 2), recently urged for measures to address recurring budget underutilization and delays in financial settlement during the review of the Culture and Prosperity Bureau's settlement approval at the 391st 1st regular session of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly.

According to Assembly Member Jo on June 9, the total amount of unused funds in the Culture and Prosperity Bureau of Jeonnam Province in 2024 was 2.46 billion won, with approximately 77% concentrated in the Culture and Arts Division. In particular, projects for local cultural infrastructure, such as the establishment of Living Culture Centers and the conversion of small libraries, have not been implemented for two consecutive years due to circumstances of local governments, resulting in repeated budget underutilization.

Jo Okhyun, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member.

Assembly Member Jo stated, "The repeated abandonment of projects every year indicates inadequate preliminary feasibility studies," emphasizing, "The financial conditions of local governments, the possibility of securing sites, and plans for matching investments must be thoroughly examined from the budget planning stage."

He further criticized, "About 520 million won of the operating support budget for the Provincial Gugak Orchestra was not executed. Despite ongoing requests to fill staff vacancies, these were not reflected, and as a result, the budget remained unspent."

He pointed out, "If budgets allocated out of necessity are not used in a timely manner, it not only negatively affects the operation of the Gugak Orchestra but also undermines the reliability and accuracy of the budget." In addition, it was found that more than 250 million won in subsidy income under the Culture and Prosperity Bureau remains uncollected due to reasons such as unsettled accounts from last year and unpaid interest.

Jo Okhyun expressed concern, stating, "Every year, there are repeated cases of delayed settlement and missed collections in projects such as the Sumuk Biennale, small cinemas, and the G&J Gallery. This is a serious administrative problem that undermines the accuracy of revenue and the independence of fiscal years, both of which are emphasized by the Local Finance Act."

He stressed, "It is urgent to conduct special inspections of institutions with more than two instances of delayed settlement, and to establish a system that can comprehensively manage the entire process from project feasibility review to settlement recovery."

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