Assemblyman Seungsoo Kim Criticizes 'MCST Exclusion' in Yongsan Park Apartment Plan and Budget Concentration in Certain Regions

Seungsoo Kim, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Daegu Bukgu Eul, People Power Party), sharply criticized the housing supply issue within Yongsan Park and the concentration of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) budget in specific regions during an additional inquiry at the '2025 Fiscal Year Settlement' plenary session held on August 26.

Assemblyman Kim strongly criticized the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for suddenly proposing the construction of apartments on the Yongsan Park site without prior consultation, despite the fact that the MCST had been preparing to establish the Yongsan Children's Complex Cultural Space for the past 20 years.

Seungsoo Kim, Member of the National Assembly (Buk-gu B, Daegu, People Power Party)

He pointed out that it was absurd for former Democratic Party legislators, who had previously adamantly opposed the creation of a children's park citing contamination from the presence of U.S. military bases, to now be in favor of residential development. He further stressed that the more serious issue is that the MCST, which had prepared the project for decades, was thoroughly excluded from the discussions.

In response, Choi Hwiyeong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, commented that there had been no prior consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Assemblyman Kim then criticized the MCST budget for being heavily skewed toward certain regions, undermining the current administration’s claim of pursuing balanced national development.

Analysis of the MCST budget by region for 2025–2026 revealed that the Honam region saw a significant increase in related budgets and project sizes, while the Yeongnam region received only about half that amount.

In particular, he noted that while a large portion of the budget for constructing major cultural facilities, such as museums, was concentrated in the Honam region with sizable allocations for national museums, support for the Yeongnam region was minimal.

Seungsoo Kim emphasized, "A government that claims to pursue balanced national development should not use its efforts to overcome the concentration in the capital area and the crisis of regional extinction as an excuse to direct a budget windfall to certain regions alone."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.