Choo says budget cut for jobs for people with severe disabilities is not final

Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae said on the 30th that the budget had not yet been finalized amid controversy over the elimination of the entire 12.7 billion won budget for jobs for people with severe disabilities next year. With criticism coming from disability groups and within the Democratic Party of Korea, she left open the option of covering the funding shortfall through measures including local government bond issuance.

The controversy began when all funding for the rights-centered, tailored public employment program for people with severe disabilities was excluded from Gyeonggi's first adjustment proposal for its 2027 annual budget. The program involved 857 people with severe disabilities this year, and concerns were raised that participants could lose their jobs if funding is also left out of the final budget.

Speaking to reporters immediately after a policy forum on local tax reform at the National Assembly, Choo explained that budget preparation was still unfinished. Asked about concerns within her party over cuts to the disability budget, she said limited available resources had prevented even large-scale projects from being included in the budget.

Choo described Gyeonggi's finances as insufficient to cover necessary spending and said the budget was still going through a process that included ways to fill the shortfall by issuing local government bonds. She reiterated that the budget was not final.

Asked whether she had consulted with the relevant groups, Choo said discussions were still at the internal stage. Earlier, on social media, she had said she would carefully review disability-related budgets and take particular care to prevent hardship for people with disabilities and their families.