Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae: "No Presidential Responsibility for Provincial Financial Difficulties"

[Anchor]

Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae has announced that she will not pursue any new projects related to her campaign pledges this year or next year. Regarding Gyeonggi Province's financial difficulties, she stated that President Lee Jae-myung bears no responsibility, despite having served as the province's governor in the past.

Reporter Choi Ho-won has the details.

[Reporter]

The Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly has begun deliberations on a supplementary budget bill for Gyeonggi Province, amounting to approximately 42 trillion won.

Reflecting the decline in real estate transactions, Gyeonggi Province reduced local tax revenues, such as acquisition taxes, by 300 billion won in the supplementary budget proposal, and also carried out restructuring worth 546.5 billion won in expenditure areas.

The debt that Gyeonggi Province must repay by 2038 stands at 7.0415 trillion won.

Among this, externally procured local government bonds amount to 1.9117 trillion won.

Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae stated that in a situation where the province's own projects must be drastically reduced, she will also give up her own campaign pledge projects.

[Choo Mi-ae / Governor of Gyeonggi Province: "Are there perhaps political motives? Must we really cut projects right now? I have heard such speculations. I will take the lead myself. I will not include any new projects for my campaign pledges in this supplementary budget proposal, nor in next year's main budget."]

Governor Choo's campaign pledges during the June local elections included introducing a metropolitan transportation one-pass, supporting youth transportation expenses, supplying public rental housing near station areas, and expanding public nursing homes.

Governor Choo also refuted opposition lawmakers' claims holding President Lee Jae-myung responsible.

[Choo Mi-ae / Governor of Gyeonggi Province: "You said that then-Governor Lee Jae-myung during the 7th popular election term (2018–2022) bears responsibility, but he bears no responsibility. That is because around the time the 7th popular election term ended, the approximately 70 billion won in inherited debt had already been reduced...."]

Separately from the supplementary budget proposal, Gyeonggi Province has also prepared plans to expand additional revenues by around 1.5 trillion won by 2030.

The province plans to drastically strengthen collection from local tax delinquents, attract rental vehicle registrations, and receive dividends from public enterprises within the province.

In addition, the province has proposed to the government that a revision of the law allow metropolitan local governments to take 5% of corporate tax, which is a national tax, and raise the local consumption tax rate from the current 25.3% to 40%.

(Video Editing: Jang Woon-seok, Footage Courtesy of Gyeonggi Provincial Government)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.