Gwanak-gu has drawn up a second supplementary budget of 52.5 billion won ($37.4 million) for 2026 and submitted it to the district council.
The total budget stands at 1.23 trillion won, a 4.45% increase from the original 1.18 trillion won. By account type, the general account rose by 49.9 billion won (4.27%) and the special account by 2.6 billion won (18.94%).
The district financed the supplementary budget through net surplus funds carried over from last year's fiscal settlement, adjusted grants, national and city subsidies, and revenue-expenditure adjustments.
The district said it focused on allocating resources efficiently toward essential projects residents can feel directly, including welfare support, urban infrastructure maintenance, local economic revitalization and administrative reinforcement.
Welfare receives 10.7 billion won — the largest single allocation — aimed at closing gaps in the social safety net and expanding protections for low-income residents, the elderly and other vulnerable groups, as well as improving childcare and parenting conditions.
Key welfare line items include livelihood benefits (8.47 billion won), housing benefits (3.28 billion won), self-sufficiency work programs (850 million won), parental allowance support (1.72 billion won), maternal and newborn health management (1.05 billion won), postpartum care expenses (340 million won), senior center facility improvements (230 million won) and national vaccination programs (300 million won).
The budget also includes substantial infrastructure spending to create a safer and more pleasant urban environment. The district will establish a building fund for a new multipurpose community hall in Samseong-dong (4 billion won), develop a climate-response urban forest (1 billion won) and promote the use of domestic timber through a woodworking experience facility at Cheongnyongsan (500 million won).
Additional safety-net measures cover annual unit-price contracts for road and sidewalk repairs (350 million won), emergency restoration and dredging of sewage facilities (350 million won) and maintenance of aging streetlights (110 million won). Through the special account, the district will also tackle chronic parking shortages — a long-standing community concern — by acquiring a site for a public parking lot in Daehak-dong (1 billion won) and funding construction of a public parking lot at Euncheon Guksabong (500 million won).
To inject vitality into the sluggish local economy, the district has set aside 200 million won in operating costs for additional issuance of Gwanak Love gift certificates and Ddaenggyeoyo delivery app vouchers in the second half of the year. It has also earmarked 450 million won for a designated special development promotion district designation and a strategic environmental impact assessment study to build a venture and startup ecosystem in the Gwanak S-Valley.
Beyond those priorities, 8.7 billion won has been allocated to strengthen administrative functions, covering personnel costs, contingency reserves, and management support for the district council and the facilities management corporation.
The second supplementary budget will go before the Gwanak-gu Council for deliberation and approval beginning Sept. 1, with final confirmation expected Sept. 16.
"This supplementary budget was drawn up with a focus on expanding the everyday infrastructure directly tied to residents' safety, protecting socially vulnerable groups and boosting the local economy," district mayor Park Jun-hee said. "As soon as the budget is finalized, we will move quickly to execute it so that residents worn down by economic hardship and record-breaking heat can feel the results — and so we can bring the second half of the year's district administration to a high standard."
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