Jeju Green Party Sues Government Over Bus Subsidy Transparency

The Jeju Green Party has initiated legal action against the Jeju provincial government, demanding the disclosure of the calculation basis for the standard operating costs of buses. This move comes after the provincial government's refusal to release detailed reports concerning these costs, which form the foundation for the substantial annual subsidies provided to bus companies. The Green Party contends that withholding this information infringes upon the public's right to know, particularly given that Jeju allocates over 100 billion won (approximately $73 million USD) annually to subsidize bus operations.

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It is difficult to understand why Jeju Province, which pays more than 100 billion won in subsidies to bus companies annually, takes a negative stance on information disclosure, which is the natural right of the public.

Since the implementation of the bus quasi-public system in 2017, Jeju has calculated the daily operating costs per bus and covered the shortfall between revenue and these costs. However, the Green Party's request for the final report of the commissioned study on these costs was denied by the provincial government in January of the previous year, citing concerns that disclosing internal company information could harm the businesses' interests. Despite an appeal, Jeju released a heavily redacted version, prompting the Green Party to file a lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the non-disclosure decision.

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The financial support to cover bus companies' deficits has surged from 28.3 billion won in 2017 to 119.2 billion won in 2024, but the bus modal share remains stuck in the 10% range.

Jeju Green Party leader Kim Sun-ae emphasized the dramatic increase in financial support, from 28.3 billion won in 2017 to 119.2 billion won in 2024, while bus modal share remains stagnant at around 10%. This disparity fuels concerns about the transparency and appropriateness of the subsidies. The party advocates for a fully public bus system and free bus services. In contrast, the Jeju provincial government's public transportation division stated that operational costs and detailed breakdowns, excluding individual company specifics like labor costs, are already publicly available through electronic disclosures. They maintain that their position was upheld in a previous administrative appeal and are prepared to contest the lawsuit.

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The operational costs and detailed breakdowns, excluding the management situations of individual companies such as labor costs, are all disclosed through electronic disclosures.