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◀ Anchor ▶ Although North Chungcheong Governor Kim Young-hwan has completed his term, the province's debt, amounting to 1.4 trillion won, remains unchanged. This represents a nearly fourfold increase compared to the previous 7th popular election term. The transition team for Governor Shin Yong-han, who is about to take office, has announced fiscal austerity measures, stating that the province's finances have deteriorated to the point where over 100 billion won must be repaid annually. Reporter Jung Jae-young reports. ◀ Report ▶ During the four years of Governor Kim Young-hwan's tenure, construction continued ceaselessly at the North Chungcheong Provincial Office. 7.3 billion won was spent on projects such as the Sky Garden, which was converted into a smoking area; the repurposing of the former Industry Promotion Hall into a coffee shop; and the renovation and expansion of the main conference room. Due to the vacant main building, 18.4 billion won was invested in remodeling the old Assembly Building, and over 10 billion won was poured into converting that main building into a library. A staggering 95 billion won was spent on construction at the provincial government complex alone, including 47.3 billion won for employee welfare facilities that double as a parking tower. On top of this, there were tens of billions of won spent on the Governor's key projects, such as the Dangsan Bunker, the old Cheongpung Bridge, the "Working Rice-Sharing" program, and video autobiographies. [ CG ] As the budget for provincial administration has become insufficient, local bonds issued or scheduled to be issued over the past three years amount to 436 billion won. [ CG ] When debt borrowed through so-called "internal debt," such as funds, is added, the total debt of the 8th popularly elected administration has skyrocketed to 1.4 trillion won, which is 3.8 times that of the previous 7th administration. Governor Kim Young-hwan has left the North Chungcheong Provincial Office, leaving behind this debt. ◀ SYNC ▶ Kim Young-hwan / Governor of North Chungcheong Province "I sincerely apologize for the many inconveniences and difficulties I caused you while leading the provincial administration. All those shortcomings were entirely my fault." The transition team of Governor-elect Shin Yong-han, who has taken on the burden of not only the provincial administration but also the debt, explained that fiscal austerity is inevitable. [ CG ] They stated that starting this year, principal and interest repayments exceeding 100 billion won will occur annually, bringing the total amount to be repaid during the 9th popular election term alone to 691.1 billion won. They added that existing projects, such as "Working Rice-Per," or even campaign pledge projects from the 9th popular election term that involve a budget, could be affected. They announced the activation of the Fiscal Normalization Committee, stating that they would maximize fiscal capacity through investment activities and government support. ◀ SYNC ▶ Jeong Gyun-yeong / General Coordinator, Chungbuk Governor Shin Yong-han’s Transition Committee "I intend to establish and operate a Fiscal Normalization Committee immediately upon taking office. We will form a Fiscal Strategy Operations Task Force right away, centered around the Vice Governor for Economic Affairs..." The Shin Yong-han Transition Committee revealed its intention to request audits regarding specific projects where funds were excessively injected. They emphasized that they will re-establish budget priorities and clarify fiscal management principles, stressing that this approach will differ from the 8th popular election, which prioritized projects. This is Jeong Jae-yeong from MBC News. ◀ END ▶