Ryu Kyungwan of Gyeongnam Assembly: "Provincial Funding for Namhae Rural Basic Income Project Must Be Fully Restored"

Ryu Kyungwan, a member of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, urged the restoration of the provincial budget for Namhae County's basic income program, which had been completely cut during the previous day's budget review by the Gyeongnam Provincial Agricultural Policy Bureau.

On December 4, Assemblyman Ryu, who represents Namhae County, held a press conference at the provincial assembly briefing room. He stated, "I appeal to the Budget and Accounts Committee to restore the budget so that the Namhae County rural basic income project can become a new hope for overcoming regional extinction in Gyeongnam."

He argued, "There is always fear when it comes to new policies, but if we stop because of fear, the future of Gyeongnam will inevitably regress."

Ryu Kyungwan, a member of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, is urging the full restoration of the provincial budget support for the pilot project of basic income for farming and fishing villages in Namhae County at the provincial assembly briefing room. Photo by Lee Seryung

The Provincial Assembly's Agriculture, Fisheries, and Maritime Affairs Committee, during its review of the Gyeongnam Provincial Agricultural Policy Bureau's budget the previous day, raised concerns about the large amount of local funding allocated to the Namhae County rural basic income project, potential side effects such as people falsely registering their residence to qualify for basic income, population outflow from other cities and counties, and the effectiveness of cash-based policies. As a result, the committee cut the entire provincial budget allocation of 12.636 billion won out of the total 40.716 billion won in national and provincial funds, and referred the matter to the Special Budget and Accounts Committee.

Assemblyman Ryu emphasized, "Even before the government announced the pilot project, Namhae County residents had been leading the basic income movement to overcome the risk of extinction."

He continued, "After being selected as the pilot site for the basic income project, Namhae County's population recovered to 40,000. This is not a 'straw effect' of drawing population from neighboring areas or a result of false residency registrations. Rather, it is because people who work in Namhae but had been commuting from Jinju, Sacheon, and other areas due to insufficient living conditions have decided to return and reside in Namhae, encouraged by the basic income."

He once again called for the restoration of the budget, noting that the basic income is paid entirely in local currency and that the pilot project is limited to two years.

Assemblyman Ryu stated, "Namhae County residents have been preparing for this for years, and Gyeongnam Province also did its best to be selected for the project. I want to ask once again whether it is truly a responsible decision for the future to clip the wings of a policy that has been demanded by residents and created by the private sector."

The 'Rural Basic Income Pilot Project' is a program promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, targeting counties at risk of extinction due to population decline and rapid aging.

All residents with registered addresses in the pilot area will receive a basic income in the form of a local gift certificate worth 150,000 won per month, or 1.8 million won per year, for two years from 2026 to 2027.

The total budget for Namhae County's rural basic income project, which was selected for the pilot, is 70.2 billion won.

Previously, in July, Gyeongnam Province decided not to provide provincial funding for the pilot project due to increased financial burdens from disaster recovery expenses following severe rainstorms, next year's increase in agricultural and fisheries subsidies, and the allocation of provincial funds to consumer coupons for livelihood recovery. However, after much deliberation, the province agreed to shoulder about 18% of the total 60% local funding share, or 30% of the local share.

Accordingly, the government will cover 20.88 billion won (40%), the province 12.636 billion won (18%), and Namhae County 29.484 billion won (42%).

However, the National Assembly, during its review of the rural basic income pilot project budget, attached a condition that the cost-sharing ratio should be 40% national, 30% provincial, and 30% county funds. It stated that if the provincial budget does not reflect at least 30%, the national funding will be withheld.

In this situation, if the budget allocated by the province is entirely cut by the Special Budget and Accounts Committee, the Namhae County basic income project could be canceled.

The Special Budget and Accounts Committee of the Provincial Assembly will decide next week, during the comprehensive budget review, whether to restore the provincial budget that was cut by the standing committee.

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