I would like to share my thoughts on the management of the country’s finances and the citizen participation budget system. The citizen participation budget system allows citizens to propose projects, which are then reviewed by experts to become part of the budget. So, how does this process work? 

First, you access the citizen participation budget system website. From the menu, you click on Propose a Project and then draft your proposal. The ideas for managing the country’s finances collected here are reviewed for their suitability by public officials and experts from each department. Following this, a lively discussion takes place among the citizen participation group, after which each department requests the proposed projects.

But that’s not the end of the process. After an anonymous vote by the citizen participation group determines the priority of the projects, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance reviews them, and they are finally reflected in the government’s budget proposal. After that, there is a thorough monitoring process to ensure that the projects are properly implemented.

When selecting projects, local government projects are excluded from the central information projects. This is because there is a separate system for resident participation in budgeting. So, what are the differences between the national participation budget and the resident participation budget? The resident participation budget system, which is operated by local governments across the country, is based on creative project ideas from local citizens. For example, residents can directly propose budgets for necessary facilities such as walking paths, rest areas, and air quality signal lights, which enhance local convenience and safety. On the other hand, the national participation budget system collects project proposals from citizens online throughout the year. However, these must be central projects that can provide benefits to all citizens equally. Due to these differences, there are ineligible cases that need to be known in advance before limiting projects, and local government projects are excluded.

Regional specialty product events or local festivals may fall under this category. However, simple complaints or the elimination of regulations that do not incur financial costs are not subject to restrictions. Complaints such as Please change the traffic signal in our neighborhood or Please extend the bus route can be resolved through the resident participation budget system. Promotions of specific individuals or products that violate legality and fairness are also excluded. Campaigns to sell local agricultural products or promoting local pride can be somewhat problematic. Large-scale projects, such as SOC projects that require preliminary feasibility studies, for example, highways or tunnels with a total project cost of over 50 billion won and government funding of 30 billion won, also fall under ineligible cases. For more detailed guidance, you can click on the ineligible cases section on the citizen participation budget website, so be sure to check before proposing a project. This system has been in full operation since 2018 after its pilot introduction in 2017.

The citizen participation budget system has discovered various projects over the past five years, thanks to the many ideas directly proposed by the public. Aren't you curious about the limited, community-focused projects from the perspective of the citizens? There were truly many innovative ideas. Projects such as science education suitable for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, eco-friendly agricultural products for pregnant women, the delivery of happiness boxes, and the development of tourism products for the transportation disadvantaged and tourism vulnerable populations were included. Additionally, there were initiatives to address the issue of population decline and cute rural revitalization projects for young people, as well as travel products tailored for the era of 10 million pet families. Most of these projects provide practical assistance to the public. The effective use of citizens' taxes was largely due to the active participation of the citizen participation group. This demonstrates the transparency, democracy, and accountability in financial management.

We are looking forward to an expansion of public participation throughout the entire budgeting process, including the establishment of national discussions on the mid- to long-term financial investment directions of this beneficial citizen participation budget system. Moreover, the pride of citizens participating in this process is also growing. Based on ideas proposed by the public, budget projects are being discovered that help improve citizens' lives while also expanding their awareness of rights. The citizen participation budget system responds to the citizens' proposals with national projects. We hope for your continued interest and participation in this citizen participation budget system.

나라살림에 대한 내 생각을 말하다! 국민참여예산제도

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