North Gyeongsang Province utilizes parliamentary audits to convey local voices

[Financial News Andong = Reporter Kim Jang-wook] "I will use the parliamentary audit to convey the voices of local residents."
North Gyeongsang Province held an executive meeting on the 29th to finalize its response strategy for the Security and Public Administration Committee's parliamentary audit on October 20 and decided to convey the local government's position to the National Assembly.
At the meeting that day, Governor Lee Cheol-woo emphasized, "We should not view the parliamentary audit merely as a place to be criticized," adding, "We must use it as an opportunity to directly explain the realities facing local governments and the problems with national policies to the National Assembly, and to clearly state our position."
In particular, the province plans to request responsible roles and support at the national level during this parliamentary audit, focusing on four key pending issues: the establishment of the Future Response Fund, Daegu–North Gyeongsang administrative integration, the Daegu–North Gyeongsang new airport, and follow-up projects for the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).
Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated, "Let us use the parliamentary audit as an opportunity to review and inspect the overall provincial administration, humbly supplement any shortcomings, and make it a stepping stone for North Gyeongsang Province to take a leap forward through administration solely for its residents."
He added, "Please respond with a sense of responsibility so that this parliamentary audit serves as an opportunity to resolve the difficulties faced by local governments and secure the driving force for major projects."
Since the reduction in local government grants resulting from the establishment of the Future Response Fund affects all local governments, the provincial government plans to raise the issue head-on on behalf of local governments.
Earlier, Governor Lee Cheol-woo criticized the Future Response Fund at the People Power Party–North Gyeongsang Province Budget Policy Consultation on the 8th, stating that it is "clearly contrary to local autonomy and decentralization."
Accordingly, the province recommends reviewing the method of raising funds and establishing institutional mechanisms to reflect the opinions of local governments in the fund management process.
Daegu–North Gyeongsang administrative integration is an issue that has built a consensus among the citizens of Daegu Metropolitan City and the province over a long period, following the start of discussions on metropolitan integration for the first time in the country in 2019 to overcome the crisis of local extinction.
The province emphasizes that administrative integration aligns with the government's Five Mega-Regions and Three Special Self-Governing Provinces Strategy for balanced national growth and requests the prompt resumption of review and passage of the Special Act on Administrative Integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang, which is currently pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly.
The province highlights that the region is bearing the full burden of the Daegu–North Gyeongsang New Airport project due to delays at the national level. It emphasizes the need to amend the Special Act on the Integrated New Airport to include the province's participation as a joint project implementer and state financial support, given the growing sense of relative deprivation among residents and the long-term restrictions on the exercise of their property rights.
The 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju focuses on connecting its achievements to international exchange and regional growth engines. It requests national-level interest and support for follow-up projects, such as the Gyeongju APEC International Cultural Center, the regularization of the World Gyeongju Forum, and the attraction of the Asia-Pacific AI Center.

[email protected] Kim Jang-wook Reporter