[Provided by Daegu city government]
[Provided by Daegu city government]

Daegu city held a budget policy meeting Thursday at the National Assembly with 14 People Power Party lawmakers representing the region, including proportional representation members.

Daegu has set its target for securing national government funding next year at 9.56 trillion won ($6.33 billion), a 5.5 percent increase from the previous year. City officials highlighted 22 key nationally funded projects at the meeting and called for increases during the Ministry of Planning and Budget review and National Assembly deliberations.

Among the 22 projects, nine fell under the jurisdiction of the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee — the largest share — and focused on future growth industries. These included support for developing and demonstrating domestically produced AI semiconductors linked to the robot industry, construction of an AI software verification system for future mobility, and establishment of a physical training center for humanoid robots.

Seven projects came under the Land and Transport Committee, covering infrastructure such as the Gumi–Gunwi expressway, the Joya–Dongmyeong metropolitan road, the Dalbit Railway, the Daegu–North Gyeongsang Province metropolitan railway and the Muju–Daegu highway.

Daegu city and local lawmakers agreed to maintain close cooperation and make an all-out effort to secure national funding.

Breaking with the convention of having a senior city official lead the briefing, Mayor Choo Kyung-ho personally presented the agenda. He covered the progress and future direction of major initiatives including the government's mega-projects, the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province integrated new airport, administrative integration, drinking water, the second round of public institution relocations and the "Create 10 Seoul National Universities" initiative.

Choo also called on the political community to support an amendment to a special law, which he said was essential to converting the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province integrated new airport project into a state-led undertaking.

Lee In-seon, chairman of the PPP's Daegu chapter, said the city and its lawmakers must work as one team, moving in the same direction. "Only by running together can we produce results that citizens actually feel," he said. "Daegu city and local lawmakers will join forces and revive the Daegu economy without fail."

Mayor Choo said the city's administration under the ninth elected term would place the greatest emphasis on firmly establishing a foundation for regional growth. "We will continue to build a close cooperative framework with lawmakers to ensure that not only national funding is secured, but that key regional projects gain momentum," he said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com