Gyeongnam Governor Candidate Kim Kyungsoo: "No Urgency for Provincial Supplementary Budget, Pace Needs Adjustment" ... Calls for Complementary Approach to Government Budget

by Lee Seryeong

Published 02 Apr.2026 01:34(KST)

Kim Kyungsoo, preliminary candidate for Governor of Gyeongnam from the Democratic Party of Korea, welcomed the government's decision to formulate an additional supplementary budget in response to the Middle East war crisis, and announced plans to establish an "Emergency Economic and Livelihood Response Headquarters" to support these measures.

He also argued that Gyeongnam Province needs to "adjust the pace" regarding the supplementary budget it set up to provide "livelihood support payments" aimed at helping residents cope with the aftermath of the Middle East conflict.

On April 1, Kim held a joint press conference with Heo Seong-moo, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's Gyeongnam Provincial Party, in the provincial council briefing room. Kim stated, "We will immediately establish the Emergency Economic and Livelihood Response Headquarters today to ensure that the government's supplementary budget reaches every corner of Gyeongnam."

The response headquarters, which will be jointly led by the two, will carry out on-site inspections focused on residents’ livelihoods, continuously monitor price indicators tailored for Gyeongnam, strengthen targeted budget support, and respond to acts disrupting public welfare through the operation of a Livelihood Safety Reporting Center.

Kim said, "The government’s large-scale supplementary budget is a strong support, but due to the nature of the national budget, it is difficult to address every local situation in detail." He added, "We will separately collect and review the indicators relevant to Gyeongnam’s economy and communicate in real time with the party headquarters and the National Assembly."

He continued, "We need to check whether there are any areas in Gyeongnam that require additional support in line with the government’s supplementary budget, and whether there are any duplications in payments. We will open both online and offline channels to gather opinions from residents and reflect them in the province’s supplementary budget formulation and review process in the provincial assembly."

He also emphasized, "We will resolutely respond to the spread of false information, such as the so-called pay-as-you-throw garbage bag crisis and the claim of supplying 900,000 tons of oil to North Korea, and deliver accurate information in real time."

Hur Sungmoo, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea Gyeongnam Provincial Party (left), and Kim Kyungsoo, prospective candidate for Gyeongnam governor, greet the press before a joint press conference. Photo by Se Ryeong Lee

Additionally, Kim commented on the "livelihood support payments" that Gyeongnam Province decided to provide on March 19, saying, "I welcome the decision to participate in the universal disbursement of support payments, even at this stage." However, he criticized, "The supplementary budget formulated out of sync with the government’s supplementary budget will not be sufficient to address the real-life problems and crises faced by residents."

The government has drawn up a supplementary budget plan worth 36.2 trillion won, which includes compensation payments for those affected by high oil prices-excluding the top 30% income bracket, each eligible person will receive between 100,000 and 600,000 won.

Previously, Gyeongnam Province submitted a separate supplementary budget bill to the provincial assembly, totaling 489.7 billion won, which includes 383.6 billion won earmarked for providing 100,000 won per resident as a "livelihood support payment."

Kim stressed, "There is a need to adjust the speed at which Gyeongnam's supplementary budget is being implemented," adding, "The urgency for the province to formulate its own supplementary budget is not as high as that of the central government."

"Although the provincial support payment was announced first, the government has since created a supplementary budget with a similar purpose, providing targeted support across almost all sectors and individual support up to the 70% lower-income bracket, which overlaps with the province’s plan," he pointed out. "Gyeongnam Province should focus on covering the gaps that the government’s supplementary budget does not address."

He added, "We need to provide more substantial support to those hit hardest by the surge in oil prices, such as small business owners, the self-employed, construction equipment operators, and freight transport workers. The government’s aid should serve as a base, and it is the local government’s role to deliver precisely targeted support to those who are truly struggling on the ground."

Kim further said, "I am raising this as an issue because we need to gather residents’ opinions and reflect them in the provincial assembly’s review of the supplementary budget bill," and added, "I am not opposed to universal support."