Kwon Gwangtaek of Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Calls for 30-Year Inheritance and Gift Tax Exemption for Wildfire Recovery in Gyeongbuk

Policy Proposals Raised During the Main Session
of the Provincial Assembly

Kwon Gwangtaek, a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly (People Power Party, Andong), raised questions covering a wide range of provincial and educational issues during the first regular session of the 356th Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly held on June 10. His inquiries addressed wildfire damage recovery and future response measures in the Gyeongbuk region, revitalization of the Jungang Line railway network, relocation of the Korea Military Academy to Andong, establishment of a northern branch of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education's Early Childhood Education Promotion Institute, and the construction of a multi-purpose school facility at Gilju Middle School in Andong.

Kwon Gwangtaek proposed five policy and institutional improvement measures for the prompt recovery and reconstruction following large-scale wildfire disasters in the Gyeongbuk region. First, he called for additional national funding support for wildfire damage restoration. Second, he emphasized the need to increase housing restoration subsidies to realistic levels so that affected residents can return to daily life. Third, he advocated for the enactment of a special law on large-scale wildfires to address blind spots in financial support under the Disaster and Safety Act, and proposed a 30-year exemption from inheritance and gift taxes as well as a relaxation of the one-household-two-houses rule to facilitate the reconstruction of completely destroyed homes. Fourth, he suggested amending relevant laws to ease logging regulations in forest-adjacent areas to prevent the recurrence of wildfire damage. Lastly, he stressed the need to systematically promote projects for compact city and local community development, including the creation of grasslands and installation of leisure facilities. He urged comprehensive support measures for the rapid restoration of forest resources and the recovery of daily life for affected residents.

Kwon Gwangtaek, Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Member

Kwon also noted that the completion of the Jungang Line double-track electrification project has significantly improved transportation convenience in northern Gyeongbuk, including Andong, and called for measures to actively utilize this advancement. He emphasized the need to expand the KTX-Eum service, which connects Cheongnyangni Station to Bujeon Station, to Seoul Station and Busan Station, and to increase service frequency and adjust schedules through strengthened cooperation with relevant ministries. He further proposed activating promotional marketing and developing related tourism products to attract the 7.6 million residents of not only the Seoul metropolitan area but also the southeastern regions including Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. He urged efforts to establish the Jungang Line as a second Gyeongbu Line, making Andong and northern Gyeongbuk a key transportation hub and a core axis of balanced regional development.

Meanwhile, Kwon Gwangtaek strongly proposed the relocation of the Korea Military Academy to Andong during the provincial assembly session. He presented the relocation as a practical measure to inherit the spirit of the nation's fallen heroes during the Month of Patriots and Veterans, and to address regional balanced development and the crisis of local extinction. He highlighted Andong as the birthplace of Lee Sangryong and the historical center where the spirit of the Shinheung Military Academy remains alive, emphasizing that relocating the academy would be both a spiritual succession and a policy- and economically-justified task. Kwon stated, "Relocating the Korea Military Academy to Andong is not simply the relocation of an institution, but the restoration of history and a national strategy for the future," and called for a clear stance and implementation plan from the Gyeongbuk provincial government.

Kwon Gwangtaek pointed out that, although mandatory survival swimming education has been expanded to all elementary school students since 2020, the lack of supporting infrastructure has caused difficulties at schools. He argued that installing a swimming pool as part of a multi-purpose facility at Gilju Middle School in Andong would have a threefold effect: alleviating the burden on schools to secure venues for mandatory survival swimming education, providing students with a safe environment for survival swimming instruction, and meeting the local residents' demand for recreational sports facilities. He emphasized that "a swimming pool managed by the school, rather than a private facility, would not only provide a safer educational environment for students but also serve as a foundation for mutual growth between the community and the school," and questioned the superintendent about the validity of installing such a facility at Gilju Middle School.

Kwon Gwangtaek also highlighted the need to establish a northern branch of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education's Early Childhood Education Promotion Institute to address regional disparities in early childhood education services. He explained that Gyeongbuk is the largest metropolitan government by area, resulting in significant gaps in educational accessibility between the north and south, and that the Gumi main branch alone cannot meet the province-wide demand. With the opening of the Gumi main branch delayed until the first half of 2027, he stressed the need for proactive measures to fill the early childhood education gap in northern regions such as Andong, Yeongju, and Yecheon, where accessibility is low. He argued that Andong, as the northern administrative center, is the optimal location for a branch, and urged the prompt establishment of a feasibility study and basic plan, referencing the case of North Chungcheong Province's northern branch initiative.

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