Budgeting for Green Growth in the Republic of Korea : Using Public Financial Management Systems to Implement Major Initiatives while Maintaining Fiscal Balance
Korea's bold initiative, the Green Growth Plan (GGP), spanning 2009 to 2013 with fiscal outlay of US$84 billion, posed a significant challenge to sustainable public finance management in Korea. This paper reviews how Korea accommodated the huge cross-cutting expenditure plan in its annual and medium term budgets. Notably Korea s medium term expenditure framework, the National Fiscal Management Plan, enabled the Ministry of Strategy and Finance s Budget Office to integrate the GGP into the budget and maintain fiscal balance. However, the paper also notes that Korea s experience suggests international standards on budget classification to be updated to accommodate government-wide initiative.