Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-uk (left) hands documents outlining the city's key agenda items and proposed national budget projects to Planning and Budget Minister Park Hong-keun (right) at Government Complex Sejong on Wednesday. [Ulsan City]
Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-uk (left) hands documents outlining the city's key agenda items and proposed national budget projects to Planning and Budget Minister Park Hong-keun (right) at Government Complex Sejong on Wednesday. [Ulsan City]

Ulsan sent its mayor and deputy mayor directly to Government Complex Sejong on Wednesday to lobby for the inclusion of key development projects in the 2027 national budget.

Mayor Kim Sang-uk met with Planning and Budget Minister Park Hong-keun at Government Complex Sejong at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, presenting the city's priority national budget projects and pressing for their inclusion in the 2027 budget plan.

The projects Ulsan put forward include the development and demonstration of large electric propulsion systems for eco-friendly vessels, construction of a land-based testing infrastructure for hydrogen engines and related equipment, designation as an autonomous driving demonstration city, establishment of an AI ship equipment and advanced components demonstration support center, and creation of a maritime logistics communications technology testbed.

Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Shin Min-sik then held a series of meetings starting at 1:30 p.m. with senior Ministry of Planning and Budget officials — including Park Chang-hwan, director general for budget coordination, Nam Gyeong-cheol, director for welfare and safety budget review, and Jeong Chang-gil, director general for fiscal performance — before visiting the budget divisions responsible for each project.

At those meetings, Shin was set to present 12 of Ulsan's priority projects for 2027 and urge their inclusion in the national budget, as well as call for the swift passage of preliminary feasibility reviews.

The projects on the agenda include a low-impact development stormwater pollution reduction project in Haksan-dong and one other site, construction of the Bangucheon World Petroglyphs Center, support for Ulsan's recycled carbon fuel regulatory-free zone, establishment of a physical AI education and training center, construction of an industrial AI transformation demonstration research complex, and requests for selection and approval of preliminary feasibility study targets.

Ulsan said the visits were timed to coincide with the Ministry of Planning and Budget's full-scale budget review period — the critical juncture that shapes the government's draft budget — with the aim of securing firm inclusion of the city's key future-growth projects in the government plan.

The 2027 government budget draft is set to complete ministry review in August before being submitted to the National Assembly by Sept. 3, where it will go through deliberations and be put to a final vote by Dec. 2.


cityblue@heraldcorp.com