Fallout Continues Over South Gyeongsang Province's Rural Basic Income Pilot Recommendations... Progressive Party: "Abuse-of-Authority Complaint" vs. Province: "We Followed Guidelines"

The South Gyeongsang Provincial Chapter of the Progressive Party filed a police complaint accusing South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-soo of abuse of authority, after the province recommended only Sancheong County out of nine county-level areas in the province with declining populations for next year’s Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income Pilot Project.

On Nov. 6, the provincial chapter held a press conference in front of the South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency and said, "We are filing a complaint to establish whether Governor Park Wan-soo and the relevant officials committed abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and coercion."

Jeon Huiyeong (center) and other officials from the Justice Party’s Gyeongnam Provincial Chapter head to the civil affairs office of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency carrying a complaint. [Photo courtesy of the Jinbo Party’s Gyeongnam Provincial Chapter]

The chapter claimed that South Gyeongsang Province demanded that the nine counties seeking to participate in the application process sign consent forms, threatening to cut provincial funding.

It said the province forced the counties to sign consent forms not required by government guidelines and blocked eight counties from applying by conducting its own review.

The chapter also said that, although it was told by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs that the province could select which applications to submit, the province abused its authority by infringing on local autonomy guaranteed under the Constitution.

"South Gyeongsang Province abused its authority by selecting Sancheong County alone without any basis in government guidelines and even forcing it to sign a consent form agreeing to cuts in provincial funding," the chapter said. "The allegation of coercion must also be thoroughly investigated, as the province is suspected of exploiting its superior position as the authority responsible for budget support and using the threat of financial disadvantage as leverage."

It added, "The police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials must conduct a thorough investigation and strictly punish those responsible," and urged, "Governor Park should apologize to provincial residents now and come up with a plan to help the eight counties that earnestly hope to secure the Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income."

Ryu Haeseok, director of Gyeongsangnam-do’s Agricultural Policy Bureau, announces the recommendations for the additional call for proposals for the 2027 Rural Basic Income pilot program. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

In a statement, South Gyeongsang Province said, "Before applications opened, we went directly to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to ask whether we could decide which applications to submit, taking into account the province's capacity to provide funding. We were told that the province could conduct its own review and recommend the counties to be selected. In line with the ministry's response and the application guidelines, we decided to submit only one application, taking into account the project's sustainability and the counties' financial conditions."

The province said, "We formed a review committee comprising university professors and research fellows at research institutes, and assessed all nine counties using the same criteria, based on the ministry's evaluation standards. After comprehensively evaluating factors such as policy need and the suitability of project plans, we submitted Sancheong County's application, which received the highest score."

The province emphasized, "The announcement of the 2027 Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income Pilot Project application plan states that counties wishing to participate must consult in advance with their provincial or metropolitan government about the local government's share of funding and take local conditions into account. We only sought opinions on adjusting the provincial funding rate for projects supported by the province in the selected county; we did not force anyone, and this was not part of the selection evaluation criteria."

It added, "As a measure to improve fairness in financial support among the province's 18 cities and counties, we are considering adjusting the provincial funding rate for other provincial-support projects for one year, 2027, for counties applying for the Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income Pilot Project. We sought their opinions on whether they consented to this."

The Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income program aims to support a minimum standard of living for residents of rural and fishing communities and boost local consumption, thereby invigorating the economies of areas with declining populations. Every resident in participating areas will receive 150,000 won per month in local love gift certificates.

The government is conducting its first two-year pilot program from 2026 to 2027 in 17 counties nationwide, including Namhae County, and plans to expand the program to 18 additional areas next year.

The central government's share of funding, currently 40%, will rise to 50% next year, while the province and counties will each cover 25% of the remaining project costs from their local budgets.

According to South Gyeongsang Province, this year's budget for the Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income program in Namhae County is 69 billion won, with the central government contributing 27.6 billion won, the province 20.7 billion won, and Namhae County 20.7 billion won.

If Sancheong County is selected next year, the 62 billion won cost of its Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income program would be shared as follows: 31 billion won from the central government, 15.5 billion won from the province, and 15.5 billion won from Sancheong County.

South Gyeongsang Province estimated that providing the Rural and Fishing Communities Basic Income to all nine counties would require more than 190 billion won in provincial funding alone. Even if only five of the 10 counties, including Namhae County, were selected—half of them—the province would need to spend 96 billion won.

The province said that, given its financial circumstances and its responsibility to support all 18 cities and counties, it would be difficult to support multiple counties at the same time. It added that, after an expert review considering the need for the project, its sustainability, and its impact on other provincial support programs, it recommended only Sancheong County.

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