Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon rejected Governor Choo Mi-ae’s declaration of a fiscal emergency, saying expansionary spending protected households and financed infrastructure rather than creating a fiscal crisis. Gyeonggi’s local tax revenue fell 8.6% to ₩15.3615 trillion last year from ₩16.7987 trillion in 2021, while its total initial budget rose 34.1% to ₩38.7221 trillion from ₩28.8724 trillion. Choo has criticized spending increases, fund depletion and five local bond issuances, including ₩943 billion in bonds last year against a ₩946 billion ceiling. Kim said the borrowing funded roads, railways, rivers and the province’s share of high fuel price relief payments, with provincial council approval and repayment plans. Outstanding debt more than doubled to ₩6.1357 trillion last year from ₩2.9112 trillion in 2021, and the debt-to-budget ratio rose to 12.9% from 6.3%. Kim cited a 12.86% ratio, below the 15.52% average for cities and provinces, Seoul’s 21.62% and the government’s 25% warning threshold. The dispute has also affected livelihood programs: the province identified about ₩240 billion in essential-program shortfalls and pursued ₩546.5 billion in expenditure restructuring, while withholding second-half payments for artists’ basic income and the second round of athletes’ basic income. Kim said the nine-month allocations were intended to be supplemented after reviewing second-half revenue conditions, not to end the programs.