Busan City Council cuts budget for small business livelihood measures

The Busan City Council has approved a supplementary budget of 605.2 billion won, which includes significant cuts to the ‘100-Day Emergency Measures for Public Livelihood’ proposed by Mayor Jeon Jae-soo. The majority party, People Power Party, led the reduction of approximately 49.5 billion won from the 146.8 billion won allocated for 16 specific livelihood projects, citing lack of urgency and effectiveness.

Key affected programs include the support for small business owners through the public delivery app ‘Ddenggyeo-yo’. While the city initially planned to provide 5,000 won discount coupons to up to 400,000 people using a 12 billion won budget, the allocation was reduced by 5 billion won. Additionally, the plan to increase the cashback rate for the local currency ‘Dongbaekjeon’ from 10% to 15% saw its budget slashed by 30 billion won, significantly shortening the period for the higher rate.

Other cuts impact insurance support for freight workers, fuel subsidies for small businesses, and job opportunities for seniors. Small business associations and civic groups have protested the decision, accusing the council of partisan obstructionism and undermining efforts to revitalize local commercial districts.