Ansan City Sets Next Year's Budget at KRW 2.456 Trillion, Allocates KRW 1.1333 Trillion for Welfare

Up 5.42% from this year; support for youth housing and livelihood stability
Fostering AI and robotics industries; KRW 9.4 billion for new Sangnoksu Station on GTX-C

Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, has drawn up a 2027 main budget proposal of KRW 2.456 trillion, up 5.42% from this year. It will increase the social welfare budget to KRW 1.1333 trillion and invest in fostering the artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics industries and expanding the metropolitan transportation network.

Ansan City Hall. Photo provided by Ansan City.

Ansan City, led by Mayor Lee Mingun, said on November 11 that it had submitted the 2027 main budget proposal to the city council. The general account totals KRW 2.1714 trillion, an increase of KRW 118.2 billion from this year, while the special accounts total KRW 284.6 billion, up KRW 8.1 billion.

The city said it had secured funding for stabilizing people's livelihoods and investing in the future through spending restructuring, despite mounting fiscal pressure from the expiration of Gyeonggi Province subsidy programs, changes to provincial subsidy rates, and rising labor and consumer prices.

Social welfare, the largest budget category, will increase by 7.49% from this year. The city allocated KRW 132.2 billion for livelihood benefits and KRW 20.1 billion for disability pensions. It set aside KRW 28.5 billion to expand the age range of children eligible for child allowances and KRW 2.9 billion for marriage support grants for couples who register their marriages next year.

For youth housing support, the city allocated KRW 8.6 billion for rent assistance, KRW 100 million for interest subsidies on loans for rental deposits, and KRW 50 million for moving expenses. It also set aside KRW 6.5 billion for the Youth Basic Income program, whose funding from Gyeonggi Province has been reduced. A further KRW 1.35 billion will go toward operating a youth startup incubator.

For future industries, the city allocated KRW 350 million to establish an industrial complex for AI transformation (AX) demonstrations, KRW 600 million to develop process models for advanced robots and humanoids powered by physical AI, and KRW 600 million to support digital manufacturing innovation at small and medium-sized enterprises. It also set aside KRW 2 billion to develop a small-scale smart city and KRW 150 million to build infrastructure for autonomous vehicles.

The total education budget is KRW 30 billion. The city allocated KRW 80 million to help middle and high school students access online lectures for the College Scholastic Ability Test, KRW 200 million to operate a career and college counseling center, and KRW 420 million for Hanyang University ERICA's gifted education center. It also set aside KRW 1.7 billion to build Ansan Intercultural Sharing School, a hub for intercultural education support.

In transportation, the city allocated KRW 9.4 billion for the construction of Sangnoksu Station on the Seoul Metropolitan Area Great Train Express (GTX)-C line and KRW 150 million for its contribution to the GTX-C regional railway project. It also set aside KRW 9.4 billion for the public bus management system, KRW 2.6 billion to help seniors and teenagers cover public transportation costs, and KRW 120 million to build parking facilities for shared bicycles and personal mobility devices (PMs).

The city also allocated KRW 4.4 billion to build a public complex facility for Seonbu 2 and 3-dong and KRW 530 million for citizen safety insurance.

Ansan Mayor Lee Mingun said, "Fiscal needs are growing while revenue remains limited, but after restructuring spending, we drew up a budget focused on projects that citizens truly need. Once the budget is approved, we will move quickly to implement the projects and deliver results that citizens can feel."

The budget proposal is expected to be finalized on December 17 after deliberation and approval by the city council.

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