Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han asks National Assembly to support 9 key projects
Yuk Dong-han, mayor of Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, visited the National Assembly on the 13th and met with the chairman of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the committee's floor secretaries from both ruling and opposition parties to request that nine key local projects be included in the national budget. The visit came just ten days after the mayor met with National Assembly members on the 3rd, and was a preliminary push by the city ahead of the Budget Adjustments Subcommittee's review on the 16th. In addition to meeting committee chairman Lee Kwang-jae, Yuk held individual meetings with Democratic Party secretary Chung Tae-ho, People Power Party secretary Yoo Sang-beom, and committee members Hwang Myung-sun and Ahn Do-geol to ask for national funding.
The nine requested projects include 1 billion won for the construction of a multi-purpose gymnasium in Chuncheon, 2.5 billion won for building an AI virtual cell verification and support infrastructure, and 1.9 billion won for a Gangwon bio-health technology commercialization promotion program. Yuk explained that the multi-purpose gymnasium, together with the planned headquarters of World Taekwondo (WT), would establish a base for international competitions and cultural and sporting events around the Songam Sports Town area, while the bio sector would strengthen the industrial ecosystem from R&D to commercialization through antibody drug development, AI-based new drug research, and in vitro diagnostic device testing and evaluation.
Yuk also raised concerns that the government's proposed 162 trillion won Future Response Fund, included in the 2027 budget plan, could lead to a reduction in the general local-share tax that is allocated according to local circumstances, placing a burden on local finances.
"Key projects that lay the foundation for Chuncheon's future growth must not be stalled by a lack of national funding," Yuk said, adding, "I will continue discussions to the end, regardless of party lines." Chairman Lee Kwang-jae said he recognized the validity and urgency of Chuncheon's key projects and pledged active cooperation during the budget review process.
