Kang Gijeong: "Next Year, Gwangju Will Become a Prosperous City Through Livelihood, Growth, Care, and Climate"

2026 Budget Set at 7.6823 Trillion Won

On November 26, Kang Gijeong, Mayor of Gwangju, delivered the 2026 budget policy speech at the Gwangju City Council plenary session, stating, "Gwangju must translate the value of democracy, which we have protected with blood and sweat, into tangible changes in citizens' lives." He presented four key strategies for next year's municipal administration: livelihood, growth, care, and climate. Mayor Kang said, "2026 will mark the inaugural year of 'a prosperous city, Gwangju.'"

Kang Gijeong, Mayor of Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The total size of the 2026 budget proposal submitted by Gwangju City is 7.6823 trillion won, an increase of 78 billion won (1.0%) compared to the previous year. The general account stands at 6.2725 trillion won, and the special account at 1.4098 trillion won. Although the city's own revenue has decreased, central government funding, including national subsidies, has increased by 7.4%, securing momentum for driving key projects, according to the city.

Gwangju City explained that it secured resources for its core strategic projects through a fiscal strategy meeting by reducing ordinary expenses, adjusting the timing of large-scale projects, and restructuring underperforming projects.

The budget proposal is structured around four strategic pillars. To revitalize the local economy, it includes a special guarantee program for small businesses (7.55 billion won), Yellow Umbrella Fund incentives (1 billion won), traditional market revitalization (1.22 billion won), and support for issuing the Gwangju Mutual Growth Card (41 billion won). Youth policies will also be expanded, such as monthly rent support for young people (7.96 billion won) and job-seeking activity allowances (5 billion won).

In the field of innovative growth, the city will promote the second phase of the AI AX Demonstration Valley (7.3 billion won), a feasibility study for the AI Mobility New Town (1 billion won), expansion of the future automotive industry base, and strengthening the startup ecosystem. The plan also includes building the RISE system (87.94 billion won) and fostering glocal universities (33.8 billion won).

In the area of care, the focus is on strengthening the care system throughout the life cycle, including expanding public late-night pediatric hospitals (1 billion won), increasing Dalbit Children's Hospitals (780 million won), and the Gwangju-style Integrated Care program (4.8 billion won). The city will also invest 12.29 billion won in the Gwangju-style lifelong housing project to enhance residential welfare.

For climate and safety, the city has allocated 33.8 billion won for climate response, including the installation of retention facilities, improvement of disaster-prone areas, and housing improvements in vulnerable regions. Transportation infrastructure projects will also continue, such as the construction of Subway Line 2 (217.34 billion won), expansion of the Honam Expressway (36.55 billion won), and realignment of Daenam-daero (14.12 billion won).

Mayor Kang emphasized, "Investment in climate response and safety is the most certain way to reduce future costs and protect citizens' lives," adding, "The 2026 budget is a growth-oriented fiscal plan that protects livelihoods and prepares for the future."

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