Paju mayor seeks budget compensation, civilian control line move
In short
Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan asked the National Assembly's budget committee chairman to compensate the city for an expected 135.8 billion won drop in its ordinary local shared tax and to move the civilian control line and Tongil Bridge checkpoint north. The city said the shortfall would follow the creation of a new future response fund, and asked for border-area conditions to be reflected in how resources are allocated. It also requested faster mine clearance and military facility relocation, and an easing of restrictions at Hojunmyo, the Jangdan Peninsula and Chopyeongdo.
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Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan asked National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee Chairman Lee Gwang-jae to preserve the city's local finances and to move the civilian control line and the Tongil Bridge checkpoint north, the city said on Oct. 6. The requests were delivered on Sept. 30 at a budget policy meeting for basic local government heads organised by the Democratic Party's Gyeonggi provincial committee at the National Assembly Members' Hall, ahead of the parliamentary budget review. [ 1 , 2 ]
On finances, the city said it expects its ordinary local shared tax to fall by 135.8 billion won compared with the existing system because of the creation of a new future response fund, and asked for the decrease to be covered through the fund's local account. Paju also asked that the resources be allocated as autonomous funds that can be used according to local conditions, that the burden of matching local money for individual projects be kept to a minimum, and that allocation criteria reflect the circumstances of border areas that it said have endured regulation and sacrifice for a long period. [ 1 , 2 ]
On the border, the city proposed moving the civilian control line south of the Imjin River 3 km north, to above Tongilchon, Haemaruchon and Deokjin Fortress, and relocating the Tongil Bridge checkpoint to Gunnae Samgeori. It asked for rapid mine clearance and military facility relocation to support this, and for Hojunmyo, the Jangdan Peninsula and Chopyeongdo — areas the city proposed — to be eased from controlled protection zones to restricted protection zones to reduce inconvenience for residents. [ 1 , 2 ]
Son said the city needed a plan to preserve its finances so that projects required for livelihoods and safety are not cut because of the reduction in local shared tax, and asked for support in moving the civilian control line north and easing regulations for border-area residents, who he said have endured sacrifice for about 70 years. [ 1 , 2 ]
The documents do not report any response from the budget committee chairman or the party to the requests, and give no timetable for moving the line, clearing mines or relocating military facilities. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
Paju is a border city whose finances and land use are shaped by national rules and military restrictions, so the outcome of the requests decided in the National Assembly budget process would directly affect residents' daily movement and the city's spending. Both documents frame the appeal as one of many from Gyeonggi Province local governments ahead of the budget review, making it a test of how much weight border areas carry in this year's allocation. The documents do not indicate whether the requests were accepted.
Key facts
- Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan delivered the requests at a Democratic Party Gyeonggi provincial committee budget policy meeting for basic local government heads, held on Sept. 30 at the National Assembly Members' Hall. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city said it expects its ordinary local shared tax to fall by 135.8 billion won compared with the existing system because of the creation of a new future response fund. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Paju asked for the shortfall to be made up through the fund's local account. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city asked that the money be allocated as autonomous resources usable according to local conditions, with the burden of matching local funds for individual projects kept to a minimum. [ 1 , 2 ]
- It asked that the special circumstances of border areas, which it said have endured regulation and sacrifice for a long period, be reflected in allocation criteria. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Paju requested moving the civilian control line south of the Imjin River 3 km north, to above Tongilchon, Haemaruchon and Deokjin Fortress, and relocating the Tongil Bridge checkpoint to Gunnae Samgeori. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city asked for rapid mine clearance and relocation of military facilities, and for Hojunmyo, the Jangdan Peninsula and Chopyeongdo to be eased from controlled protection zones to restricted protection zones. [ 1 ]
- According to Asia Economy, the meeting was attended by Gyeonggi provincial party chairman Seo Yeong-seok, National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee chairman Lee Gwang-jae, Mayor Son and 19 Democratic Party mayors in the province. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan asked National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee Chairman Lee Gwang-jae to preserve the city's local finances and to move the civilian control line and the Tongil Bridge checkpoint north. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city puts the expected reduction in its ordinary local shared tax at 135.8 billion won and wants the decrease covered through the new fund's local account. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city wants the Imjin River civilian control line moved 3 km north to above Tongilchon, Haemaruchon and Deokjin Fortress, and the Tongil Bridge checkpoint moved to Gunnae Samgeori. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city asked for accelerated mine clearance and military facility relocation and for the easing of protection-zone designations for areas it proposed, including Hojunmyo, the Jangdan Peninsula and Chopyeongdo. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the budget committee or the Democratic Party response to the requests, and whether any of them will be reflected in the budget review. Neither document reports any reply, acceptance or rejection of the requests.
- Whether the 135.8 billion won estimate is an official figure or the city's own calculation, and the details of the new future response fund. Both documents attribute the figure to the city's expectation and give no detail on the fund itself.
- Any timetable for moving the civilian control line, clearing mines or relocating military facilities. The documents only say the city asked for these to be carried out quickly; no dates are given.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Mayor Son Bae-chan delivers the request at the Democratic Party Gyeonggi provincial budget policy meeting at the National Assembly Members' Hall; the documents do not give a time of day. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Asia Economy reports that Paju has made the requests for budget compensation and a northward move of the civilian control line. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports that the mayor delivered the requests to Budget and Accounts Special Committee Chairman Lee Gwang-jae. [ 2 ]