Jeonbuk State will pay an annual survivor allowance of 1.2 million won to 723 descendants of those who took part in the Donghak Peasant Revolution 132 years ago. The stated aim is to honor their historical sacrifice, but questions are being raised about whether it is appropriate to expand recurring cash support each year when local government debt is growing and the fiscal self-reliance ratio is the lowest in the country.
The province said on the 25th that, under the local government ordinance on supporting commemorative projects for the Donghak Peasant Revolution, it will pay 1.2 million won per person annually to 723 descendants of participants who have lived in the province for at least one year. This year's project budget is 868 million won, to be shared between Jeonbuk State and cities and counties at a 3-to-7 ratio.
◇"Courtesy for historical sacrifice"… 1.2 million won a year for 723 descendants
Those eligible are children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren officially registered as descendants under the Special Act on the Restoration of Honor for Participants in the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Jeonbuk State says the Donghak Peasant Revolution was a historic event launched under anti-feudal and anti-foreign banners and later became a catalyst for the anti-Japanese movement.
Lee Won-taeg, the Jeonbuk governor, said, "Paying survivor allowances is a meaningful start to elevate the participants' honor and pass down their will to their descendants," adding, "We will continue efforts to ensure the Donghak Peasant Revolution is fully recognized as a historical asset of Korea's democracy and that participants receive appropriate national honors."
Still, controversy is expected over paying cash every year to descendants up to the third generation of an event more than 130 years ago. Opinions also diverge on whether it is appropriate to broaden eligibility to children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and on how far a local government should bear historical responsibility.
Even in the system supporting descendants of independence patriots, debate has continued over time about whom to recognize and how far to set the scope. On online communities, some critics say, "Shouldn't we also track down the descendants of people who took part in the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 and pay them pensions?" There is also criticism over whether sufficient discussion took place when the support amount was doubled from the initially reviewed 600,000 won to 1.2 million won.
◇Debt up 330 billion won in five years… fiscal self-reliance ranks last nationwide
Another point of contention is Jeonbuk State's fiscal conditions. According to the Korea Institute of Public Finance's analysis of local government bonds, Jeonbuk State's outstanding local government debt rose from 659.1 billion won in 2020 to 989.3 billion won in 2025. That is an increase of about 330 billion won over five years, with an average annual debt growth rate of about 10%. The province's planned issuance of local government bonds this year is also said to exceed 150 billion won.
Its fiscal self-reliance ratio is the lowest in the country. According to KOSIS, Jeonbuk State's fiscal self-reliance ratio for 2026 (after revenue account reclassification) is 23.32%, the lowest among 15 provinces and metropolitan cities. It is about 19 percentage points below the national average of 42.37%.
The fiscal self-reliance ratio shows how much of the necessary resources a local government can raise on its own. In Jeonbuk's case, with only its own resources such as local government tax and non-tax revenues, it is difficult to cover a substantial share of its overall operations, resulting in a structure with high dependence on central government support.
Of course, the annual 868 million won in survivor allowances is not a large share of Jeonbuk State's overall budget. Looking only at the amount, one could argue the impact on local government finance is limited.
◇Finances are tight… is recurring annual cash support appropriate?
However, some note it is a separate issue whether it is appropriate to newly expand a program that requires recurring annual expenditure when fiscal conditions are weak. This is because it could reduce opportunities to allocate limited resources to other areas such as welfare, education, and regional development.
Recently, with local governments reworking even existing programs to respond to fiscal crises, fairness concerns are also being raised. Gyeonggi Province declared a "fiscal emergency" and began drafting a supplementary budget with 550 billion won in cuts, and South Chungcheong Province also drew up a supplementary budget 84.3 billion won smaller than its original budget.