Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu Vows "Great Leap Forward" Despite Fiscal Pressure ... Total Transformation of Economic Map, One-Hour Living Zone, and Comprehensive Welfare

On October 6, Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province reiterated his commitment to reshaping the economic landscape of the province, connecting all areas into a one-hour living zone, and ensuring that all residents benefit from tailored welfare during the 9th term of the civilian administration at a press conference held in the provincial government meeting room.

Governor Park assessed, "The first 100 days of the 9th term provided a period of laying the groundwork for how we will prepare and execute the Gyeongnam provincial administration moving forward, and thoroughly setting the foundation for Gyeongnam’s major leap."

Citing the key achievements of the 8th term, he listed the designation of the Advanced Aircraft Engine Specialized Complex, the selection of the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) national research institute, the opening of the AI Data Center, the inclusion of nine routes in the 6th National Road and National Support Road Construction Plan, increased KTX services, and the establishment of an integrated welfare platform based on AI.

Regarding the slogan of the 9th term administration, "Leap Forward Gyeongnam Together with Residents," he explained, "It means communicating more closely and broadly with residents so that Gyeongnam can lead among local governments."

As future directions for the 9th administration, he presented: ▲ major industrial transformation through artificial intelligence (AI) and new industries; ▲ expansion of a metropolitan transportation network connecting all areas within 30 minutes to one hour; ▲ and the establishment of a tight welfare safety net with no blind spots.

Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province is answering reporters' questions at a press briefing commemorating the 100th day since the launch of the 9th local government.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Governor Park emphasized, "No matter what, the economy must come first in the 9th term," adding, "We will completely transform the regional industrial landscape into new industries, combining it with artificial intelligence (AI) technology to fundamentally change Gyeongnam’s economic map."

He continued, "Just as I pledged during the local elections, we will connect every region in the province within 30 minutes to one hour and build a metropolitan transportation network," and added, "Through the reorganization of road networks, railway systems, and regional bus operations, every part of the province will be able to develop evenly."

He further stated, "We have created an integrated welfare platform based on artificial intelligence," promising, "By further refining welfare policy and completing a customized system, residents will enjoy more benefits."

On the same day, Governor Park also pledged to achieve fiscal soundness despite structural limitations in local finances.

He pointed out that, with local governments largely constrained to securing revenues from property-related taxes such as acquisition and registration taxes, plummeting real estate markets have caused local tax incomes to fall, resulting in increasing financial difficulties for local governments nationwide.

He noted the desire to reduce dependence on central government finances, but expressed concern that as the government pushes forward with projects requiring central and local funding matches—often without consulting local governments—such moves force the local governments to follow central government policies "with no other choice," since rejecting them would reduce resident benefits.

Governor Park stated that, although the annual fiscal scale of Gyeongnam Province is 14 trillion won, only about 500 billion won can be allocated by the province independently, citing difficulties in advancing the government's future response fund and rural basic income policies.

He also criticized, "While creating the future response fund, the government is allocating transfer taxes to local governments as reserved funds at the central level and arbitrarily deciding their use," adding, "This runs contrary to the stated government goals of local growth and local fiscal expansion."

He went on to say, "Although only Namhae County currently implements the 50:50 matching rural basic income program with the government, if all 10 county regions in the province were to adopt it, it would cost 400 billion won each year, meaning the province would have zero funds left for its own discretion."

Governor Park stressed, "If this continues, soon there will be local governments unable to participate in state-funded projects," calling for institutional measures to transfer national taxes—such as corporate taxes, value-added tax, and local consumption tax—to local governments, or to create new pathways for local governments to generate their own revenues."

A press conference commemorating the 100-day launch of the 9th Civilian Governor Term is being held in the Provincial Government Meeting Room at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Province]

Nevertheless, Governor Park revealed his strong conviction not to further increase debt.

When the 8th term administration took office, Gyeongnam's debt stood at 1.27 trillion won, but during its four-year tenure, 340 billion won was paid off. After issuing local bonds immediately following the start of the 9th term, the local bond balance is expected to reach about 1.1 trillion won by the end of this year.

He said, "Although it is difficult to increase financial resources without issuing local bonds, we cannot simply rely on borrowing to expand the budget," and pledged, "We will restructure and rationalize spending in lower-priority areas, preventing debt from increasing further beyond the level at the end of the 8th term."

He also expressed a firm intent to overhaul welfare-related spending—one of the key policies of the 9th term. Welfare accounts for 42% of the province’s budget.

He said, "We will pursue welfare policy based on the province’s financial circumstances," and admitted, "There are concerns that we may not be able to fulfill 100% of the welfare-related pledges announced during the previous election."

However, he reaffirmed, "Rather than introducing new welfare policies, we will reorganize the system and reprioritize through the AI-based integrated welfare platform," and committed, "We will sort out and rationally operate overlapping or less efficient areas with government initiatives."

Regarding the administrative unification of Busan and Gyeongnam, he stated, "While I maintain the need for administrative integration, it appears that the mayors of Busan and Ulsan are not currently considering unification," adding, "Unilaterally insisting on integration despite differing views would only create regional conflict or appear as playing politics."

He also said, "Still, if Busan and Ulsan decide in favor of integration even now, I will immediately work to push for a timetable," emphasizing, "It will require strong efforts to persuade the mayors of Busan and Ulsan."

On this day, Governor Park concluded, "If I make a mistake, please say so. If I do well, say so as well," pledging, "I will do my best for the residents until the end of my term, maintaining the original intention and sense of responsibility I had when I first became governor."

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