"The Answer Lies On Site"... Wando County Council Concludes 9-Day Regular Session Marathon

2025 Settlement and 2026 First Supplementary Budget Approved

16 Improvements Recommended for Subsidies, Ocean Healing Center, and More

The Wando County Council in Jeonnam Gwangju announced on the 7th that it had successfully concluded the 9-day schedule of the 342nd 1st regular session, during which it handled major council activities such as the approval of settlements, review of supplementary budgets, and on-site visits to areas impacting residents' daily lives.

During this regular session, the Wando County Council reviewed last year’s fiscal performance, examined the validity of this year’s additional fiscal demands, and visited key project sites in person to assess their progress.

Wando County Council concluded the 342nd First Regular Session and key legislative activities. Photo by Wando County Council

The Special Budget and Settlement Committee reviewed the revenue and expenditure settlements, emergency fund usage, and fund settlements for the fiscal year 2025. Last year, Wando County’s budget totaled approximately KRW 915 billion, of which about KRW 727.3 billion was spent and about KRW 152.7 billion was carried over to the following year.

The council examined the overall financial management, including whether the budget was executed for its original purpose, any project delays or excessive carryovers, management of local subsidies and funds, and collection of overdue payments. In particular, through the settlement audit, the council identified a total of 16 matters requiring improvement or recommendations—such as local subsidy management, administrative assets and project management for the Wando Ocean Healing Center, and delays in major projects—and demanded that these be reflected in future budget planning and execution.

The first supplementary budget for 2026, also reviewed and adopted during the session, was confirmed at KRW 750.2 billion (KRW 714.9 billion in general accounts and KRW 35.3 billion in special accounts), an increase of about KRW 97.2 billion from the original budget of KRW 652.9 billion. The council focused on the urgency of projects and whether key livelihood issues were addressed. Without any budget cuts, it corrected four budget categories and itemized adjustments, passing the revised budget accordingly.

The council also visited 26 major project sites across all 12 towns and townships, including Cheongsan Port national fishing harbor repair, Jungang Market Building B modernization, Geumdang-Samsan drainage improvement, Soando underground water storage dam installation, the Nohwa~Soan connecting bridge, and the Wando Ocean Healing Center, to check the status and listen to residents’ concerns at locations directly related to the community’s well-being.

Chairman Choi Jungwook stated, "The settlement process is about holding financial management accountable, and the supplementary budget is a crucial decision about where to prioritize limited resources. I will ensure that projects funded by residents’ taxes are carried out as planned and that their results benefit the community."

He continued, "We will hold those responsible for improper budget execution and sluggish projects accountable, and will strongly support essential projects for the residents. We are committed to building a responsible council that listens to the voices of residents in the field, not just in the council chamber."

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