Daejeon teams up with Democratic Party to secure national budget for 2027

Daejeon city has joined forces with local politicians to secure funding in the 2027 national budget as the National Assembly's review of the government's budget proposal gets underway in earnest.

The city held a briefing session Wednesday morning at the National Assembly members' office building with the Democratic Party of Korea's Daejeon chapter, outlining the case for key local projects not adequately reflected in the government's 2027 budget proposal and discussing ways to have additional funding included or increased during the Assembly's review process.

About 40 people attended, including Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong, Democratic Party of Korea Daejeon chapter Chairman Jang Jong-tae, local lawmakers and party officials.

The session covered 24 agenda items in total — 13 national budget projects and 11 local issues. On the national budget side, the city presented the case for and shared plans to secure national funds for the following projects: establishing a national semiconductor research institute; building an AI platform linked to the Ontong Daejeon integrated services system; constructing a national art storage and conservation center; conducting an architectural planning study for an anchor facility in the urban convergence special zone; building a BRT connecting road between Oesam and the Yuseong complex terminal; constructing the first phase of the Chungcheong region metropolitan railway; building an accelerated platform for innovative new drug research and development; creating a convergence special-effects content cluster; developing a sports and culture theme park at Namseon Park; widening the access road to the Daejeon police training facility; widening the Mokdal-dong Namdal-miro road; opening a connecting road through the Beopdeong reservoir culvert; and supporting the operation of a public children's rehabilitation hospital.

The 11 local issues discussed were: a second round of strategic recruitment of public institutions; attracting a global AI hub; reflecting Daejeon routes in the fifth national railway network development plan; the Jaundae space revitalization project; advancing the Daejeon transit-oriented area complex zone 2-1 development project; improving the system for redeveloping aging planned cities; re-establishing the National Information Resources Service's main office within Daejeon; accelerating the ground-breaking of the Chungcheong region express railway (CTX); modernizing facilities at the Noeun agricultural and fishery wholesale market; advancing the Seodaejeon Station complex transfer center; and developing the nano-semiconductor national industrial complex.

Among the funding requests, the city placed particular emphasis on securing national funds for: 500 million won ($372,000) for a research study on establishing a national semiconductor research institute; 5 billion won for building a lifestyle economy AI platform linked to Ontong Daejeon; 2.3 billion won for constructing a national art storage and conservation center; 500 million won for an architectural planning study for the urban convergence special zone anchor facility; and 1.1 billion won for building the BRT connecting road between Oesam and the Yuseong complex terminal.

Alongside this, the city requested support for relocating public institutions in a second round as part of efforts to develop a "global innovation city for science and technology startups," as well as for attracting a "global AI hub" — a multilateral AI cooperation platform involving international organizations, multilateral development banks, and industry-academia-research partners.

"Now that the National Assembly's review of next year's government budget proposal has begun in earnest, it is time for us to pull together to ensure that the projects essential to Daejeon's future growth and the lives of its citizens secure sufficient funding," Mayor Heo said. "I ask that our local lawmakers also lend their active support in securing national funds and resolving key issues."