The government has formalized plans to prepare a supplementary budget of 10 trillion won to respond to disasters such as wildfires, prompting the People Power Party to request cooperation from the opposition.
On the morning of the 31st, Emergency Response Committee Chair Kwon Young-se said at a meeting held in the National Assembly, "The 'wildfire supplementary budget' cannot be the subject of political bargaining," and emphasized, "It must be prioritized above all else in the National Assembly."
Chair Kwon noted, "It is expected that restoration will cost at least 3 trillion to 4 trillion won," and added, "Unfortunately, the emergency fund that the government can utilize immediately for disaster response is only about 400 billion won."
He continued, "Most of the disaster victims are elderly people, so it is indeed an urgent situation," and stated, "If politics gets caught up in strife when disaster looms, the suffering for victims and citizens will only worsen. I request the grand cooperation of the Democratic Party."
Kim Sang-hoon, chair of the policy committee, urged, "Since the Democratic Party has emphasized the supplementary budget for wildfire damage recovery, it is now time for the government to prepare the related budget and for both parties to reach an agreement on its handling."
Chair Kim stated, "The supplementary budget proposal announced by the government yesterday is fundamentally a budget that can be agreed upon without party disputes," and added, "It is an essential budget for expedited processing and a restrictive budget that requires the issuance of Government Bonds." He continued, "I hope that the related supplementary budget can be processed quickly in the April session, and I urge the cooperation of the Democratic Party."