Funds for research on agricultural products shipping costs and April 3rd Incident have been included in next year’s national budget.
Budget for the second airport has strings attached, meanwhile the proposed budget for operating a long distance search and rescue unit of the Air Force has been cut.
Todd Thacker reports.

[slug] Jeju to receive \1.5T from 2020 national budget
Jeju Island is set to receive some 1.5 trillion won from the national budget for the 2020 fiscal year.

[slug] Seoul includes budget for researching shipping costs of agricultural goods
For the first time, funding for research on the cost of shipping agricultural products between Jeju and the mainland has been included. Up until now, Seoul had denied that such research was necessary.

[slug] \800M allotted to demonstration study on marine shipping cost
A total of 800 million won has been allotted to determine the need for shipping subsidies for Jeju. This would open the possibility of national subsidies for marine shipping between the island and the mainland.


[slug] \35.6B set aside for new airport with the requirement of public input
Regarding the plan for Jeju's second airport, 35.6 billion won has been allocated for research, design and inspections, though this comes with strings attached. The collection and reflection of public input in the basic plan for the new airport are prerequisites.

[slug] Budget cut for long distance Air Force search and rescue unit
The proposed budget for a long distance search and rescue unit of the Air Force, however, has been cut by the National Assembly.



In other sectors receiving national funding, the operating budgets of the Jeju April 3rd Peace Foundation and maintenance of April 3rd historical sites will receive more funding than initially proposed.

Some 5.5 billion won has been allotted to the improvement of electric vehicle charging services. And 500 million won has been allocated to the construction of a welfare center near Jeju Port.


National Budget Allocated to Jeju (unit: KRW)
Jeju April 3rd Peace Foundation 3.57B ? 3.72B
Maintenance of April 3rd Incident historical sites 750M? 1.05B
EV charging services 5.5B
Building welfare center near Jeju Port 500M



[Reporter] Todd Thacker
[Camera] Kim Seung-cheol

Other environmental and infrastructure related projects such as the establishment of an upcycling center and improvements to the island's sewer system have also seen slight budgetary increases for 2020.

Todd Thacker, KCTV