The ruling and opposition parties agreed on the 28th that additional measures, including the restoration of the special purpose contingency fund, are necessary after discussing post-response actions at the wildfire damage site in Andong, Gyeongbuk, as reported by the People Power Party.
According to the People Power Party, senior officials from both parties visited the wildfire damage site in Andong, Gyeongbuk, that day to assess the damage and discuss post-response measures.
Attending the meeting that day from the People Power Party were Kweon Seong-dong, emergency response committee chairperson, floor leader Kwon Young-se, and policy committee chairperson Kim Sang-hoon, while the government was represented by acting President Han Duck-soo and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok.
Shin Dong-wook, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, noted in an afternoon verbal briefing that "senior officials from both parties visited the wildfire damage site in Andong to assess the damage and discuss post-response measures," adding, "In particular, they agreed that additional measures, including restoration of the special purpose contingency fund that the Democratic Party cut last year, are necessary for the wildfire response."
The senior spokesperson reported, "Regarding the restoration of the special purpose contingency fund, Deputy Prime Minister Choi indicated that he would thoroughly listen to opinions and prepare necessary measures."
Floor leader Kwon requested Deputy Prime Minister Choi, who accompanied the on-site inspection, to prepare a supplementary budget related to the wildfire, to which Choi replied, "I will review it promptly and provide detailed information to the public," according to Shin, the senior spokesperson.
Shin also added, "The ruling and opposition parties agreed on the urgency of supporting the living conditions and housing for those affected and decided to concentrate their administrative efforts to the maximum extent possible."
Kwon Young-se, emergency response committee chairperson, stated at the site of the "on-site inspection for wildfire damage recovery and support measures" that "the party and the government will focus all efforts on alleviating the difficulties at the scene by investing resources universally and reinforcing equipment, as well as preparing medical welfare measures," adding, "We will also promote cooperation with local governments and communities more intensively to ensure there are no blind spots."
He also said, "I will ensure that practical support measures, such as emergency living support funds, can be executed quickly and will also devise tailored support plans for the recovery of the local economy during the recovery process."
The People Power Party noted that due to the unilateral budget cuts by the Democratic Party at the end of last year, the contingency fund for this year was reduced to a total of 2.4 trillion won, half of the government proposal, with only about 600 billion won immediately available (199.8 billion won for disaster response by each department and 400 billion won for contingency), which is severely insufficient for wildfire response. In response, they stated their intention to secure 2 trillion won in disaster contingency funds during supplementary budget preparations, considering the scale of the damage from this wildfire.