Kim Wonki Vows to Revitalize Livelihood Economy with Local Currency Budget Restoration and Public Delivery App

Kim Wonki, Uijeongbu Mayoral Candidate, to Establish Citizen Task Force Reporting Directly to the Mayor
Announces Policy Shift to Balance Macro Urban Development with Everyday Neighborhood Economic Vitality
Plans for Supplementary Budget, Step-by-Step Development and Distribution of Uijeongbu-Style Public Delivery App

On May 19, Kim Wonki, candidate for Uijeongbu Mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea, announced the "Livelihood Economy Recovery Project" as the second installment in his policy pledge relay, aiming for the swift normalization of the stagnant local economy.

Resident Sovereignty Practice Policy Agreement. Provided by Candidate Kim Wonki

This pledge is rooted in a balanced policy approach that values not only long-term growth drivers such as large-scale infrastructure development but also recognizes the immediate need to stabilize the household management of local self-employed business owners and small merchants, who struggle daily to make ends meet. While respecting the mid- to long-term strategy of attracting enterprises, the policy makes a clear distinction by focusing on strengthening the everyday economic sectors that citizens encounter in their daily lives.

Kim believes that, since it can take a considerable amount of time for external memorandums of understanding (MOUs) or infrastructure projects to produce visible results, swift support measures must be implemented in parallel to ensure that small and medium-sized merchants—the backbone of the local economy—do not collapse during this interim period. In particular, he expressed regret that the budget for the local currency (Uijeongbu Sarang Card), which boosts domestic consumption and helps circulate funds within the region, has been drastically reduced.

Highlighting the importance of local currency as a catalyst for the livelihood economy, Kim’s economic policy focuses on reinforcing the self-sustaining distribution ecosystem of neighborhood commercial districts and alleviating the structural burdens of the delivery platform market. To achieve this, he plans to restore the reduced budget for the local currency (Uijeongbu Sarang Card) and implement measures to revitalize traditional markets and neighborhood businesses.

Additionally, to support the coexistence of small business owners and delivery workers struggling with high intermediary fees and advertising costs, Kim plans to develop and distribute a "Uijeongbu-style Public Delivery App." By significantly lowering commission fees to preserve small business owners’ income and providing integrated local currency payment benefits at the city level, he aims to establish a virtuous economic system that encourages wider user adoption. Kim also outlined a specific timeline, promising to immediately form a citizen task force directly under the mayor and swiftly complete related processes, such as arranging the supplementary budget.

Regarding the funding required for revitalizing the local economy, Kim presented a clear and feasible solution. Instead of relying on the temporary measure of excessively issuing municipal bonds, which would burden the city’s finances, he chose "meticulous restructuring of the existing budget." He stated that he would thoroughly review and boldly adjust one-off event expenses, non-urgent sidewalk replacements or road maintenance costs, and exhibition-related expenditures from scratch. By reallocating the savings achieved through this approach, he aims to minimize any additional debt burden.

Kim emphasized, "Rather than a pledge that remains a grand slogan, I will become a 'rational and practical economic mayor' who prioritizes spending to fill the pockets of our citizens first by adjusting expenditure priorities."

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