Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, controversy over on-site work report in Jeju amid fiscal emergency

As Gyeonggi Province has declared a fiscal emergency, controversy is growing over the fact that some standing committees of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council are pushing ahead with work reports and onsite policy meetings in Jeju Island. According to Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, the Health and Welfare Committee plans to hold a meeting in Jeju Island from the 19th to the 21st of next month, over a threeday, twonight schedule, and receive next year’s main budget proposal and major work reports. The Economic and Labor Committee is also considering a similar schedule, and other standing committees are reportedly also keeping Jeju Island meetings in mind. Gyeonggi Province is currently cutting spending, including by carrying out a 546.5 billion won expenditure restructuring through an additional budget recently. As a result, criticism is being raised inside the provincial government over whether it is really necessary to go all the way to Jeju Island for work reports. Questions about the need for the business trip have also been raised on anonymous civil servant bulletin boards and among internal officials.