Gov. Park Soo-hyun hosts policy briefing in Yeouido to align with Assembly members on next year's budget and regional priorities
South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Soo-hyun met with regional lawmakers Tuesday to coordinate efforts to secure 13.5 trillion won ($10.1 billion) in state funding ahead of the National Assembly's review of next year's government budget.
The province hosted a policy briefing at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, bringing together Park, 10 Assembly members — Moon Jin-seog, Lee Jae-gwan, Lee Jeong-mun, Yun Yong-geun, Jang Dong-hyeok, Jeon Eun-su, Seong Il-jong, Hwang Myeong-seon, Eo Gi-gu and Gang Seung-gyu — along with about 30 senior provincial officials.
The briefing covered key budget requests, an overview of provincial policy priorities and requests for legislative cooperation.
The government's draft budget for next year already reflects 13.26 trillion won allocated to the province — a 940.9 billion won increase, or 7.6 percent, from the 12.32 trillion won secured this year. The province aims to secure an additional 236.8 billion won during the Assembly's budget deliberations to reach its target of 13.5 trillion won.
At the meeting, Park asked the lawmakers for active support on 33 budget requests and 27 regional policy and legislative items.
The top budget requests included the establishment of a new immigration and foreign nationals office in South Chungcheong Province, the creation of a Naepocheon campus for Chungnam National University, a five-hub AI digital transformation demonstration project for the Chungcheong region, the founding of a national institute for historical and cultural heritage promotion, the establishment of a national dental research institute in Cheonan, the first phase of a metropolitan rail project for the Chungcheong region and the development of an AI-specialized pilot city.
On regional issues and legislation, Park briefed the lawmakers on plans to attract the National Information Resources Service to South Chungcheong Province, expand the designation of top-tier general hospitals in the province, relocate Greater Seoul public institutions to the South Chungcheong Innovation City, attract the integrated headquarters of state-owned power companies, pursue national acquisition of the Gyeongnyeolbiyeoldo islets, win a competitive bid to build a K-culture convergence arena and enact a special law for the Chungcheong metropolitan union — urging their attention and support on each item.
"The draft budget already reflects the largest state allocation in the province's history, but we still need to secure an additional 236.8 billion won to reach our target of 13.5 trillion won," Park said. "I ask for your particular attention to ensuring that essential projects — including the Chungnam National University Naepocheon campus, the national dental research institute and the AI-specialized pilot city — are included in the Assembly's final budget."
Park added that attracting public institutions from the Greater Seoul area and winning the K-culture arena bid were tasks South Chungcheong must accomplish to emerge as a new growth engine. "When it comes to resolving South Chungcheong's challenges, there can be no divide between the ruling and opposition parties, or between the Assembly and the province," Park said, calling on the lawmakers to speak with one voice.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
