Gyeongsangnam-do: "Deeply Regret Indiscriminate Criminal Complaints Over Differences of Opinion on Rural Basic Income ... Will Take Legal Action"

"We will no longer tolerate the use of criminal complaints as a means of indiscriminate political attacks."

Gyeongsangnam-do has issued an official statement after being accused of abuse of authority and other offenses in connection with the call for applications for next year's rural basic income pilot program.

Spokesperson Yoo Haenam held a press conference at the provincial government press center on November 11 and said, "We respect sound policy criticism and reasonable questions, but deeply regret the practice of turning differences of policy opinion into indiscriminate criminal complaints."

Gyeongsangnam-do spokesperson Yoo Haenam announces the province's official position on the Progressive Party's criminal complaint over the rural basic income program selection process. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

He said, "The controversy surrounding the rural basic income pilot program stems from differing views on the priorities among policy goals and on fiscal management."

He added, "We agree with the policy's aim of preventing rural communities from disappearing and supporting residents' lives," but said, "Even the best policy cannot be free from the practical constraint of fiscal soundness."

He also explained, "Where and how much to allocate limited resources is an issue that local governments must consider," adding, "Expanding support for a particular policy inevitably leaves fewer resources available for other areas."

"That is why we have argued that the central government's funding share for the rural basic income support program should be raised from 50% to at least 80%," he said, stressing, "If the central government's share had been 80%, we could have recommended more regions."

Spokesperson Yoo criticized the complaint, saying, "We will always accept reasonable criticism of the provincial administration and differences of policy opinion, and will actively review valid points and reflect them in our administration. But filing criminal complaints against the governor and relevant public officials solely because of differing policy views is an entirely different matter."

"Policies should be judged on their merits," he said, adding, "If policy disputes are unnecessarily escalated into legal disputes, reasonable policy discussions will be stifled, and administrative resources that should be used for the residents of the province will inevitably be wasted."

Gyeongsangnam-do announced that it would respond to the complaint "in accordance with the law and principles."

Spokesperson Yoo said, "We will carefully examine whether the complaint contains false information and whether there are grounds to seek legal accountability for false accusations or defamation. If any illegality is confirmed, we will take corresponding legal action and demand clear accountability for raising baseless suspicions."

He added, "All counties agreed, when applying for the program, to a plan to adjust next year's provincial funding share for the selected counties." He said, "When next year's budget is executed, we plan to work closely with the counties to develop a way to benefit the unselected counties, such as reducing the provincial funding share for counties running the pilot program and allocating the resulting funds to the eight unselected counties."

Officials from the Justice Party's Gyeongnam Provincial Chapter, including Provincial Chair Jeon Heeyoung (center), head to the civil affairs office of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency carrying a complaint. [Photo provided by the Jinbo Party's Gyeongnam Provincial Chapter]

The rural basic income program was launched to support a minimum level of financial security for rural residents, encourage local consumption, and boost economic vitality in areas with declining populations. Under the program, each resident in a participating region receives 150,000 won per month in local gift certificates.

Among the nine counties in Gyeongsangnam-do, excluding Namhae County, where the pilot program is already underway, the province recommended Sancheong County as a site for next year's pilot program following its own expert review and other assessments.

The province made this decision because, with significant fiscal uncertainty next year due in part to the Future Response Fund and the need to support all 18 cities and counties, it would be difficult to support multiple counties at the same time. It also considered the need for the program, its sustainability, and its potential impact on other support programs for provincial residents.

According to the province, next year's program costs will be shared with 50% funded by the central government, 25% by the province, and 25% by the county. If Sancheong County is selected, the total cost of 62 billion won will be shared among the government, which will pay 31 billion won; Gyeongsangnam-do, which will pay 15.5 billion won; and Sancheong County, which will pay 15.5 billion won.

Before applying for the program, the province visited the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and was told that it could select which counties to include in its submission based on its capacity to cover the provincial share. It also sent each county an official notice outlining the application plan and stating that the province would select the counties after conducting its own evaluation.

In response, the Jinbo Party's Gyeongnam Provincial Party accused Gyeongsangnam-do of pressuring the nine counties seeking to participate in the application process to sign consent forms by threatening to cut provincial funding, and of blocking the eight other counties from applying. On November 6, it filed a complaint with the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency against the governor and relevant public officials on suspicion of abuse of authority, coercion, and other offenses.

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