The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party clashed on the scale of the government's supplementary budget proposal and local currency during the National Assembly Budget and Settlement Special Committee comprehensive policy inquiry on the 28th.
The Democratic Party asserted that the scale of the supplementary budget is insufficient for economic recovery and that local currencies, such as gift certificates for community support, should also be reflected in the supplementary budget.
In contrast, the People Power Party countered that effective execution is more important than the scale of the supplementary budget, noting that local currencies have many issues.
Representative An Do-geol of the Democratic Party noted regarding the government's supplementary budget proposal that "the purpose of the supplementary budget is very unclear, and if a large amount of money is to be spent, a clear policy signal must be sent to the market to recover the economy with this money."
He added, "The scale of the supplementary budget falls short of market and public expectations. How can we expect to recover the economy with this?"
Representative An also stated, "The government must take a practical approach, and as gift certificates for community support can help revitalize local businesses and increase sales for small business owners, the expense for this should be included in the supplementary budget proposal."
Representative Yoon Jun-byeong of the same party remarked, "The budget related to farmers and fishermen from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is around 150 billion won," and requested a proactive review of increasing the related budget.
Representative Moon Geum-joo also urged that there is not even a direct support budget for farms in this supplementary budget and called for proactive measures to ensure direct support budgets, such as support for electricity bills and feed purchases for farmers.
In contrast, representatives from the People Power Party emphasized the need for prompt execution of the supplementary budget for the Gyeongbuk region, which sustained significant damage from the wildfire last month, without mentioning the scale of the supplementary budget.
Representative Kim Hyeong-dong stated, "The health of the displaced individuals who have no homes and no food is at great risk," and stressed the need for urgent attention to the housing sector.
He added, "Even if temporary housing facilities are to be built with the supplementary budget, will they really be ready before this farming season?" and called for rapid support for displaced individuals, even if it is just temporary tents.
Representative Jo Ji-yeon commented on the inclusion of the 'Burden Relief Credit' system for small businesses in this supplementary budget proposal, stating, "Regardless of how early the budget is prepared, in order to execute it, there must ultimately be enough field personnel or accessibility issues addressed to ensure the budget is distributed evenly."
She emphasized, "It is common for self-employed individuals to go to other local governments to apply for funds," thus advocating for the need to adjust and supplement part of the budget from the Small Business Promotion Fund.
Representative Choi Hyeong-du refuted the Democratic Party's demand for an increase in the local currency budget, saying, "There are analyses suggesting that gift certificates for community support exacerbate inequalities between wealthy and impoverished local governments," adding, "If implemented nationwide, it would lead to waste, and tendencies like regional distortion would deepen regional disparities."
He further demanded, "If the government has both positive effects and negative analyses regarding gift certificates for community support, then they should submit them."