Jeju Spent W21.1 Billion on New 7 Wonders Selection

Jeju Island spent W21.1 billion on phone calls alone during voting for inclusion among the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" (US$1=W1,116). The Jeju government informed the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and Communication Committee of the expenses at a meeting on the island on Thursday.

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Telecom provider KT, which signed a sponsorship contract with the New 7 Wonders Foundation, slapped the Jeju government with a W17 billion phone bill, minus W4.2 billion in profits generated by the phone voting process. The Jeju government paid W10.4 billion until the end of December.

The island has spent W8.15 billion from its 2012 budget to pay for the phone bill and tapped into the supplementary budget to cover another W2.28 billion. KT has agreed to let Jeju pay the remaining W6.5 billion in monthly installments of W110 million over the next five years.

To get people to participate in the phone voting, Jeju officials formed a sponsorship deal with KT so that each international phone call vote were charged just W198, rather than the regular W1,200.

Jeju assembly member So Won-ok said the island "ended up buying the title and it cost taxpayers an arm and a leg". A Jeju government official said, "The New 7 Wonders Foundation signed a contract with KT, so we don't know how much of the phone fees goes to the foundation". He pledged to make sure the island "reaps far more benefits than the costs of the phone voting process".