SEOUL– The Seoul Metropolitan Council on Friday approved the metropolitan government’s record budget bill worth 47.19 trillion won (US$36.13 billion) for next year.
The budget passed by a vote of 70 to 15 during the council’s plenary session represents a decrease of 14.7 billion won from the amount requested by the city government but marks a 6.7 percent increase from this year’s budget.
The council approved budget increases for most of Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s priority projects, such as support for underprivileged people; “Metaverse Seoul,” a new public service concept based on online virtual worlds; and the transformation of Nodeul Island on the Han River into an art and culture hub.
The budget bill also includes 27 billion won for the Seoul-type smart healthcare project and 600 million won for the creation of Seoul Port on Yeouido Island.
The Seoul city government’s budget support for its affiliated radio station, Traffic Broadcasting System, will decrease by 27.4 percent from this year to 23.2 billion won amid claims of political bias of some of its programs.
Its budget support for the Seoul Public Agency for Social Service and the University of Seoul will also be cut by 10 billion won each next year.
Source: Yonhap News Agency