Oh Se-hoon Meets Budget Minister to Request Expanded Support for Aging Infrastructure

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-keun at the Korea Fiscal Information Service today (the 24th) to explain the reality of aging infrastructure in Seoul and request state-level support for its improvement.

According to the city, infrastructure such as roads and bridges in Seoul was intensively built in the 1970s and 1980s, with approximately 58% of them having passed 30 years since completion.

In addition, 71.7% of electrical facilities on Seoul Subway Lines 5 to 8 have received a D grade due to aging, and about 58% of the total 10,884 kilometers of sewer pipes have exceeded 30 years since installation, showing ongoing deterioration of infrastructure.

The city of Seoul explained that while the government subsidizes 70% to 78% of national funds to other cities and provinces for nationwide and universal welfare projects, it only supports 60% for Seoul, increasing its own financial burden.

Furthermore, the city added that while the government supports labor costs with ordinary allocation taxes for delegated local tasks such as labor inspector duties in other regions, it provides no such support to Seoul, forcing the city to bear the entire labor cost on its own.

Mayor Oh emphasized, "Seoul's infrastructure is key infrastructure that sustains the national economy and citizens' daily lives. We must reinvest in aging infrastructure in a timely manner before risks materialize. Active financial support and a decisive decision from the central government are essential to secure citizen safety and urban competitiveness."

He added, "It is a principle that the state should take responsibility for nationwide, universal welfare projects and tasks delegated by the state to local governments. We must prevent unfair cost shifting onto Seoul and strengthen the financial responsibility of the state."
 
(Photo: Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.