Gwangju Special City Ramps Up Efforts to Secure National Funding... Pushes for Budget Increases in National Assembly Deliberations

Strategy to Secure an Additional 500 Billion Won
Focus on Securing Funding for AI, Semiconductors, and Transportation Networks

Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City has begun efforts to secure additional national funding of more than 500 billion won next year by responding to deliberations at the National Assembly.

On the 22nd, Gwangju Special City held the "2027 Strategy-Sharing Meeting on Parliamentary Deliberations to Secure National Government Funding," chaired by Vice Mayor for Balanced Development Baek Seungju, and discussed ways to increase the budgets for major projects.

Gwangju Special Metropolitan City held a strategy-sharing meeting on parliamentary review of efforts to secure national government funding for 2027 on the 22nd, chaired by Vice Mayor for Balanced Development Baek Seungju. Photo provided by Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City.

National funding included in next year's government budget proposal totals 13 trillion 900.9 billion won, up 820.5 billion won (6.3%) from the previous year. The goal is to secure more than 500 billion won in additional funding during National Assembly deliberations, bringing the final total to more than 14 trillion 400 billion won.

At the meeting, participants reviewed the need, urgency, and likelihood of securing funding for 170 proposed budget-increase projects identified by city departments and bureaus and municipal, county, and district governments, with a combined budget of 1 trillion 131.9 billion won. The projects were either excluded from the government proposal or only partially included.

The areas targeted for budget increases include future industries such as AI, semiconductors, and energy; expansion of the metropolitan transportation network; strengthening the competitiveness of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; and revitalizing the cultural content industry.

In AI and semiconductors, the city is seeking budget increases of 14 billion won for establishing a domestically developed NPU demonstration center, 10 billion won to revitalize the National AI Industrial Complex, 7 billion won for an AI optical semiconductor advanced packaging commercialization support center, and 5 billion won to build infrastructure for high-power semiconductor modules and support businesses.

Transportation projects targeted for budget increases include 65.6 billion won for construction of the national highway between Aphae in Sinan and Hwawon in Haenam, 15.4 billion won for the Gangjin-Wando Expressway, 13 billion won for the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Railway, and 10 billion won for upgrading the Jeolla Line to high-speed rail, among others.

In the energy sector, the city is pushing for the enactment of the "Special Act on the Designation and Operation of Super-Regional Strategic Industrial Special Zones for Locally Led Growth." In connection with this, it will also mobilize administrative resources to secure national funding to develop Solaseado in Haenam into a renewable-energy self-sufficient city.

Gwangju Special City plans to refine the priorities for each project and the rationale for budget increases, then request that funding be included from the relevant central government ministries, local lawmakers, and members of the National Assembly's standing committees and Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

Baek Seungju, Vice Mayor for Balanced Development, said, "National Assembly deliberations are an important opportunity to secure additional funding needed to foster the region's future growth engines and address pressing issues. We will use a consistent strategy across city departments and bureaus to persuade the National Assembly and central government ministries and secure more than 500 billion won in additional national funding."

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