Cash pledges surge ahead of local elections

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Cash pledges surge ahead of local elections

Published: 15 Apr. 2026, 00:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Heo Tae-jeong, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Daejeon mayor, announces his policy pledges at his campaign office on March 31. [NEWS1]

With fewer than 50 days remaining before the June 3 local elections, candidates from both ruling and opposition parties are rolling out a wave of cash assistance pledges. While these proposals are framed as responses to high energy prices, they risk becoming little more than vote-buying if they lack proper feasibility reviews and clear funding plans. The trend reflects a deeper dependence on cash-based populism in Korean politics.

Heo Tae-jeong, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Daejeon mayor, has pledged to provide 200,000 won (about $135) per resident as relief from high oil prices. This would be separate from central government payments ranging from 100,000 to 600,000 won per person for lower-income households. Implementing the plan would require an additional 290 billion won in local funding. Even Jang Chul-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker who competed against Heo in the primary, criticized the proposal as lacking sufficient budgetary support.

Similar promises are emerging elsewhere. Kim Young-rok, a candidate in the Jeonnam-Gwangju mayoral race, has proposed a 300 billion won relief package. Opposition candidates have followed suit. South Gyeongsang Governor Park Wan-soo of the People Power Party, who is seeking reelection, has pledged to provide 100,000 won to every resident regardless of income. The estimated cost is 328.8 billion won, with applications set to begin on April 30. Many candidates for municipal and district leadership positions are also offering unconditional cash benefits.

This competition has spread nationwide, highlighting a pattern of fiscal promises driven more by electoral considerations than long-term planning. Korea’s system of local autonomy, now in its 31st year, was intended to strengthen grassroots democracy. Yet local governments continue to face serious financial constraints.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as of last year, 14 out of 17 provincial and metropolitan governments, excluding Seoul, Gyeonggi and Sejong, had fiscal independence rates below 50 percent. Regions such as North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang and Gangwon reported levels in the 20 percent range. More than 100 local governments nationwide are unable to cover even public sector salaries with their own tax revenues.

In this context, expanding cash handouts without sustainable funding risks worsening fiscal instability. Budgets allocated for essential services, including support for vulnerable populations, could be diverted to short-term electoral initiatives. Local government finances are not discretionary funds for political campaigns but public resources that require careful stewardship.

Calls are growing for candidates to reconsider such pledges and prioritize fiscal responsibility. Without clear funding strategies, these proposals could undermine both local governance and public trust.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.