A general view of a plenary session of the Pohang City Council. [Pohang City Council]
A general view of a plenary session of the Pohang City Council. [Pohang City Council]

The Pohang City Council in North Gyeongsang Province held the second plenary session of its 333rd extraordinary session Wednesday, passing 29 agenda items including the city's second supplementary budget for 2026 and concluding 15 days of legislative activity.

Before the plenary session, lawmaker Kim Yeong-heon used a five-minute open-floor address to criticize the city's handling of the Yeongil Bay Crossing Bridge project, which has been stalled for 18 years. He said the city had responded inadequately as the maritime route originally sought by residents was in effect altered.

He also called on the city to transparently disclose the route-change process and the progress of consultations with the central government and the Korea Development Institute, and to present a responsible plan for moving the project forward.

Lawmaker Kim Ha-young, meanwhile, clarified that her earlier remarks were not a demand for the reckless operation of the damaged Hyeongsan River marina facility, but a call to end its neglect and restore its normal use given the public funds invested in it. She also said the council's scrutiny of and demands for improvement from the administration represent its role in overseeing and checking city government on behalf of residents.

In the plenary session, the council passed an amended version of the second supplementary budget submitted by the city, totaling 3.329 trillion won ($2.46 billion) — comprising 2.923 trillion won in the general account and 406 billion won in special accounts. The amendment reduced the general account by 1.17 billion won while approving the special accounts as originally proposed.

The council also passed a total of 29 agenda items, including a partial amendment to the ordinance on the establishment and operation of the Pohang city civil affairs office, sponsored by lawmaker Choe Gwang-yeol; a partial amendment to the ordinance on support for small business owners in Pohang, sponsored by lawmaker An Dae-cheon; and an ordinance on the promotion of Korean medicine in Pohang, sponsored by lawmaker Im Ju-hui.

The council's next session — the first regular session of the 334th term — is scheduled to run for 19 days from Oct. 12 to Oct. 30, with administrative audits, policy questions and ordinance reviews on the agenda.


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