Government Receives 381.3 Billion Won Request for 2027 Participatory Budgeting, a 12.8-Fold Increase in One Year

The Ministry of Planning and Budget announced on June 16 that 16 government ministries, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, have requested a total of 381.3 billion won across 43 projects for the 2027 participatory budgeting program.

According to the Ministry, this represents a 2.9-fold increase in the number of projects and a 12.8-fold increase in the requested budget compared to this year.

An official from the Ministry stated, "Projects requested by each ministry through the participatory budgeting system will be reflected in the government's budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year, after comprehensively considering the results of preference voting by the public participation group and the policy conditions of individual projects."

The participatory budgeting system, which allows citizens to directly participate in the budget process, was introduced in 2018.

This year, the system was improved to expand the scope of public proposals from project discovery to include expenditure efficiency.

Public proposals for the 2027 fiscal year reached 1,080, approximately double the number from a year ago, with 866 of these being proposals for new projects.

As for proposals for expenditure efficiency, which are being accepted until June 30, 214 submissions have been received so far.

Publicly proposed projects include <AI service vouchers for vulnerable groups>, <free access to the 132 legal consultation call center>, <revitalization of direct transactions for livestock products>, and <creation of local living hubs>.

Proposals for expenditure efficiency include budget savings through the adjustment of military supplies based on the preferences of "MZ generation soldiers," and an examination of the current state of repetitive promotional video production in the public sector along with improvement measures.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.