Lee Jae-myung: "All resources and power belong to the people. They should be used for the benefit of residents"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province said that all power and resources come from the people, and pledged to continue expanding the "resident participatory budgeting system" to enable provincial residents to participate in provincial administration and budget planning.

Gyeonggi Province hosted the "Resident Participatory Budget Online Talk Concert with Citizens" at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office on the 18th to directly hear residents' opinions on participatory budgeting.

Held under the theme of "Gyeonggi Province's Resident Participatory Budget: Containing Citizens' Thoughts," the talk concert began with a special lecture on the resident participatory budgeting system and proceeded with various discussions, including the backgrounds of proposals submitted by provincial residents in the 2020 proposal competition, frequently asked questions about resident participatory budgeting, and the direction for development of Gyeonggi Province's resident participatory budgeting system.

Governor Lee stated in his opening remarks, "There are people who say 'giving too much to the people spoils their habits' or 'expanding welfare makes people lazy,' but this actually shows they've forgotten who the true owner of this country is and who bears the actual financial burden. All power comes from the people, and all resources are financed by the people, yet there is always the question of whether they are being used entirely in accordance with the people's will and to enhance the people's welfare."

He continued, "Gyeonggi Province makes every effort to execute the resources and budgets that citizens have financed according to the authority entrusted by citizens in a way that best serves residents' interests. However, since supply-focused considerations and administrative convenience can take priority, the resident participatory budgeting system aims to maximize opportunities for residents to directly participate in budget planning and provincial administration."

He added, "The resident participatory budgeting system will continue to expand in the future. If residents directly identify policies needed in their daily lives, and if those policies are feasible, efficient, and necessary, we will adopt and execute them to the greatest extent possible."

The talk concert, moderated by Noh Jeong-yeol, a Gyeonggi Province publicity ambassador, was attended on-site by Kim In-gu, chair of Gyeonggi Province's Resident Participatory Budget Committee and operating committee members, Choi Won-yong, director of the provincial Planning and Coordination Office, and outstanding proposal submitters, with approximately 100 residents participating online.

Gyeonggi Province allocated 51 projects and 15.6 billion won as resident-proposed projects in the 2021 main budget and submitted it to the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly. This represents an increase of 25 projects and 2.8 billion won compared to this year's main budget, with the final allocation to be decided through the provincial assembly's deliberation.

Looking at projects selected as outstanding proposals, the "Support for Installation of Shelter-Type Bus Stops" project will allocate 4.7 billion won to expand 118 shelter-type bus stops throughout Gyeonggi Province to provide residents with convenient public transportation services.

The "Support for Installation of Thermal Imaging Cameras in Public Libraries" project will invest 900 million won across 100 public libraries throughout Gyeonggi Province to install thermal imaging cameras to prevent various infectious diseases and create a safe library usage environment.

Meanwhile, the talk concert featured a lecture on the resident participatory budgeting system by Jung Chang-soo, director of the National Budget Research Institute, and provided guidance to online participants on ▲the difference between civil complaints and resident participatory budgeting ▲the scope and areas where proposals can be submitted ▲the process through which proposed projects are implemented.

Residents showed considerable interest in the resident participatory budgeting system by asking questions about matters they had been curious about and presenting opinions on ways to improve Gyeonggi Province's resident participatory budgeting system.