Most Incheon Basic Council canceled overseas business trips and returned budget... Some keep the plan

It has been confirmed that most councils in the Incheon region have not scheduled overseas business trips this year or are taking steps to return their budgets.

According to Incheon City Council and county/district councils on the 15th, Jemulpo-gu Council completely canceled its plans for a business trip to Japan in the second half of this year.

The Jemulpo District Council initially considered an official overseas business trip for the purpose of investigating Japan's firefighting and disaster prevention system, but agreed to focus on legislative activities.

Jemulpo-gu Council, comprised of 11 district council members, plans to return 38.5 million won in overseas travel expenses through the supplementary budget in December.

Previously, the Incheon Jemulpo Peace and Welfare Solidarity demanded, “The newly launched first council of Jemulpo-gu should focus on its original role of checks, surveillance, and policy proposals.”

An official from the Jemulpo District Council said, “There was no set schedule, and it was a fundamental review stage.” He added, “The budget for overseas travel expenses is expected to be returned naturally.”

Other Incheon basic councils are also taking steps to return travel expenses for overseas business trips, considering their financial situation and external criticism.

It was found that Ongjin-gun, Ganghwa-gun, Namdong-gu, and Bupyeong-gu councils did not schedule official overseas business trips or canceled them this year.

Yeongjong-gu has not yet confirmed whether there will be official overseas business trips, but it is known that there are no specific plans under discussion.

Seohae-gu Council and Geomdan-gu Council, which were launched last July following the reorganization of Incheon City's administrative system, did not allocate a budget for official overseas business trips this year, considering the initial financial burden of the district.

Gyeyang-gu Council also did not prepare a related budget due to frequent local legislative activities in the early days of the council's launch.

Some standing committees of the Incheon City Council and Michuhol-gu Council are planning or have already gone on overseas business trips, but they are drawing a line against criticism of 'foreign business trips'.

The Incheon City Council's Urban Construction Committee is planning a business trip to Spain and Portugal for 7 nights and 9 days from the 21st to the 29th of next month for the purpose of investigating cases of urban regeneration in the original downtown.

The Michuhol District Council went on an official overseas business trip to Junmod City, Toub Province, Mongolia for 4 nights and 5 days from the 24th to the 28th of last month.

The Yansu District Council is conducting a local business trip from the 14th to the 17th of this month for exchanges with Qinhuai District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China.

It was discovered that Yeonsu-gu Mayor Lee Jae-ho and Yeonsu-gu Council Chairman Lee Sang-gon were present on the business trip. In the case of Mayor Lee, he will also visit Nagoya, Japan from the 22nd to the 24th to encourage athletes participating in the Asian Games.

However, each council's position is that in the case of local council official overseas business trips, the suitability for the business trip is closely verified through pre- and post-review committee deliberations.

An official from the Michuhol District Council said, “We promoted the business trip because Junmode City is a sister city and continues international exchanges by visiting it every year. There was no schedule for an overseas visit at all, and a report on the results will be made public after a follow-up review.”