Ulsan Metropolitan Council: “Supplementary Budget Cuts Are About Correcting Procedures, Not Obstructing the City Administration”

【Financial News Ulsan = Reporter Choi Soo-sang】 Ulsan Metropolitan Council issued a statement on the 11th, immediately after Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook’s press conference, explaining its position on cutting the budgets related to the Seoul Office and the “120 Ulsan Civil Complaint Center” from the third supplementary budget bill. The council emphasized that the cuts did not deny the need for the projects themselves. Rather, it said they were a legitimate duty and an inherent authority aimed at correcting Ulsan Metropolitan City’s irregular hiring practices and inadequate operating plans.
Earlier that day, Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook held an emergency press conference at the press center of Ulsan City Hall at 2 p.m. and said he felt “a deep sense of despair and helplessness as mayor” over the council’s decision to eliminate the entire budget.
Kim then directly criticized Ulsan Metropolitan Council, saying, “Upgrading the civil complaint center to handle citizens’ complaints through a one-stop service and maintaining a Seoul Office to secure national funds are basic administrative functions essential to Ulsan’s future.” He added, “It is disappointing to see the entire budget cut, but who is this cut really for?”
In response, the council pointed out that although Ulsan Metropolitan City claimed it was urgent to strengthen the Seoul Office to secure national funds and attract public institutions, it had left the position of Seoul Office director—the overall person in charge—vacant for an extended period.
The council also criticized the city for saying it had completed the hiring process for working-level staff, including part-time fixed-term public officials, before the budget review and approval process had even concluded. It said this disregarded the local council’s inherent authority to review budgets and amounted to demanding retroactive approval.
The council also took aim at the 120 Ulsan Civil Complaint Center project, the first project Mayor Kim Sang-wook signed after taking office.
The council explained that it cut the budget because 21 employees had already been assigned to the center and relevant departments and were carrying out their duties, yet the city sought to add 12 new employees without objective grounds for the calculation. It also said the division of responsibilities with the city government headquarters and the districts and counties, the entity ultimately responsible, and the plan to link the expanded functions with the existing civil complaint system had not been clearly defined.
The council emphasized that pushing ahead with a project without sufficiently reviewing its institutional basis and accountability structure simply because it was the mayor’s pledge amounted to disregarding the council. It said, “The more important the pledge, the more it must be pursued properly by following principles and procedures.” The council added that it would actively reconsider the budget from the citizens’ perspective if Ulsan Metropolitan City supplemented the insufficient materials and presented a reasonable operating plan.
Council Chair Lee Young-hae added, “The executive branch claims it tried to engage in dialogue, but the city’s senior political affairs secretary never came directly to my office or the chair’s office to explain the budget, nor did he even consult us once in advance.” He continued, “If they wanted collaborative governance or dialogue with the council, they should have come beforehand to engage in legitimate discussions and persuade us.”


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