The Ministry of Economy and Finance clarified that the reduction in government budget related to free high school education only pertains to the termination of national funding, and that free high school education will continue based on local education finances.
In the budget reference materials distributed today for next year’s budget plan, the Ministry explained this situation.
There were reports that the budget for free high school education significantly decreased because the special provision requiring the national government to bear part of the cost ends this year. In response, the Ministry stated that the sunset of the national budget support aligns with the original plan and that free high school education will continue smoothly through local education funds.
Additionally, considering the decrease in the school-age population and next year’s allocation, they expect that the funds will be sufficient.
The budget for supporting the translation and overseas publication of Korean literature has increased from 2.3 billion won this year to 3.1 billion won next year, a 34.5% increase. The national grant for the Literature Translation Institute of Korea will be 14.1 billion won, up 6.3% from this year.
The government revealed that over 26 years, from 1998 to this year, a total of 1 billion won has been allocated to support translation or overseas publication projects and exchange programs, including works by the author Han Kang.
The Ministry also mentioned that the budget to combat digital sex crimes, like deepfake videos based on AI technology, will increase by 40% to 12.6 billion won next year.
Particularly, the budget for investigating and prosecuting fake video analysis and illegal filming tracking will sharply rise from 300 million won to 3.5 billion won.
Regarding criticisms about reductions in budgets for operating support centers for victims of digital sex crimes and the “right to be forgotten” projects, the Ministry explained that it was due to the completion of system construction and the end of demand surveys.
Nevertheless, the budget for preventing the distribution of sexual crime materials and supporting victims has been slightly increased or maintained at this year’s level.
In terms of improving military welfare, the Ministry explained that allowances for short-term servicemen, duty pay, housing allowances, etc., will double next year, and they will increase the cap on overtime pay and the salaries of junior officers.
Regarding the reduction in next year’s military food budget, they cited the decrease in soldier numbers and the need to reduce food waste, noting that the current meal cost stands at 13,000 won, which is high compared to other meal costs.
About criticisms that funding for national vaccination programs has been cut, the Ministry explained that this is because the COVID-19 crisis level has been downgraded and the vaccinations have normalized; budgets for existing vaccinations like influenza and rotavirus have slightly increased.
In response to criticism that government support for health insurance does not reach the legal ratio, the Ministry stated that it is fundamental to operate health insurance with premium income, deciding the scale of government support based on a comprehensive consideration of the state and health insurance’s financial situation.
Additionally, they mentioned that the Health Promotion Fund is being supported to the maximum limit.
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