Gyeongju City Council Cuts 2.77 Billion Won, Passes 27 Agenda Items... Five-Minute Speeches on "Vacant House Maintenance" and More

2nd Plenary Session of the 294th Regular Meeting Convenes, Approving Next Year’s Budget Bill
2.7764 Billion Won in Expenditure Cut and Reallocated to Disaster and Emergency Reserve Funds

The Gyeongju City Council (Chairman Lee Donghyeop) held the 2nd plenary session of the 2nd regular meeting of the 294th Gyeongju City Council in the main assembly hall on December 11, passing a total of 27 agenda items, including the "2026 Budget Bill."

Prior to the plenary session, three council members delivered five-minute speeches on major issues facing Gyeongju, urging the city administration to take proactive measures.

The scene of the 2nd plenary session of the 2nd regular meeting of the 294th Gyeongju City Council held on the 11th. Provided by Gyeongju City Council

Lee Kyunghee, Chair of the Administrative Welfare Committee, called for fundamental changes and implementation in vacant house maintenance, urban regeneration, and downtown revitalization policies, emphasizing the need to establish an integrated database of vacant homes and stores and to introduce regeneration models.

She particularly stressed that, with heightened attention due to the hosting of APEC, now is the optimal time to actively pursue urban regeneration.

Assemblyman Jeong Heetaek proposed measures to revitalize the Gyeongju Folk Craft Village.

Recalling that works by craft village artisans were presented to U.S. President Donald Trump during the APEC summit, he suggested major strategies such as attracting young artisans (through startup and residency priority programs), transforming the village into a multi-purpose cultural space focused on hands-on experiences and education, and redesigning linkage routes with nearby tourist attractions to bring renewed vitality to the now stagnant craft village.

Choi Jaepil, Chair of the Council Operations Committee, expressed concerns about the policy prohibiting cash payments at Gyeongju’s public parking lots.

He specifically pointed out the risk of digital exclusion among traditional market users, particularly middle-aged and elderly groups, and requested that either cash payment options be maintained or card payment support measures be established for public parking lot operations.

In the subsequent plenary session, the council deliberated and approved the "2026 Budget Bill," which totaled 2.1 trillion won-an increase of 75 billion won compared to the previous year.

As a result of the review, 2.7764 billion won in expenditure was cut and reallocated as reserve funds for disaster and emergency purposes.

Chairman Lee Donghyeop stated, "I would like to thank my fellow council members for their passionate review of the 2026 main budget and various agenda items, as well as the public officials who actively cooperated with the council schedule."

The 294th Gyeongju City Council’s 2nd regular meeting will continue with a recess from December 12 to 17, followed by the 3rd plenary session on December 18 and the 4th plenary session on December 19, concluding the 23-day legislative schedule.

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