Gyeonggi Province Faces Budget Cuts for Next Year, Zeroing Out Various Programs

[Anchor]

Gyeonggi Province, which is currently preparing its budget for next year, plans to downscale or suspend various projects due to financial difficulties. With numerous sectors facing complete budget cuts, concerns are pouring in from all corners.

Reporter Choi Ho-won has the details.

[Reporter]

Developmental adults gather in one place to make 3D calendars to be used at the end of the year.

The monthly salary for the 10 disabled workers employed here is 720,000 won each, entirely provided by Gyeonggi Province.

This is the so-called "rights-centered severe disability job creation project," but Gyeonggi Province is considering completely cutting this year's budget of 12.7 billion won for next year.

[Im Shin-hwa / Chairperson, Kkumgorae Cooperative]: "Does this mean they won't be able to work here starting next year? Then they will just have to stay at home, what should we do? Coming to work every day with anxiety, they keep asking what we are going to do next year."

Seo Eun-hye, a painter with Down syndrome who gained recognition by appearing in a drama, even burst into tears over concerns that her colleagues would lose their jobs.

These are not the only sectors where Gyeonggi Province is considering budget cuts for next year.

Agricultural and livestock budgets are projected to be reduced by more than 300 billion won compared to this year, and basic income for artists and athletes is also on the chopping block.

In particular, after the "Social Solidarity Economy Framework Act" supporting social enterprises and cooperatives was passed in the National Assembly led by the ruling party in August, the budget for the Gyeonggi Center for Social Economy, which was preparing related projects, was drastically slashed, drawing expressions of concern even within the ruling party itself.

[Kim Young-bae / Member of the Democratic Party]: "I am stating that the current provincial administration policy of Governor Choo Mi-ae to downscale organizations and cut policies and budgets runs counter to the party line and policy direction that the Democratic Party has maintained so far."

However, Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae maintains that fiscal austerity is inevitable next year, following this year.

[Choo Mi-ae / Governor of Gyeonggi Province (last month)]: "Next year, available financial resources (for Gyeonggi Province projects) will be 1.5 trillion won, which is only about 44% of this year's. We must recognize the reality that 'this is virtually a fiscal emergency'."

Amid growing concerns over budget cuts and project suspensions across various sectors, Gyeonggi Province stated, "Nothing has been finalized yet," and plans to submit next year's main budget bill to the provincial assembly next week to enter full-scale negotiations.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.