The Special Committee on Budget & Accounts subcommittee on budget coordination, which is reviewing next year's budget bill, clashed sharply over the Unification Ministry's budget. The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party showed differences over increases and cuts related to North Korean human rights and inter-Korean talks. As a result, a large portion of the Unification Ministry's budget was put on hold.
On the 21st in the morning, the budget subcommittee held at the National Assembly conducted the fifth day of its review of next year's budget bill. On this day, it reviewed the budgets of a total of eight agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Unification Ministry.
The parties diverged from the start over the budget for the Unification Ministry's North Korean human rights report and the establishment of a North Korean human rights center. The Unification Ministry decided not to publish the North Korean human rights report abroad starting next year and therefore reduced the budget. There was also an opinion that the budget for the North Korean human rights center should be cut.
Kang Seung-gyu of the People Power Party said, "If you investigated human rights, you should publish it. Why is the state giving up, saying it's unnecessary? Why is the ministry agreeing to this?" Jo Jung-hoon of the same party also pointed out, "You call yourselves a progressive ruling party and emphasize human rights and freedom so much, so why do you stop when it comes to North Korean human rights?"
The parties also differed over pushing for inter-Korean talks. Song Ki-heon of the Democratic Party said, "(Regardless of administrations,) inter-Korean talks have been continuously pursued by the Republic of Korea," adding, "The expense for inter-Korean talks would always have been prepared." The People Power Party countered, "Even when the government sends signals, (North Korea) does not respond, so it is inappropriate to allocate a budget while saying you will pursue talks."
The People Power Party proposed a complete cut to the budget for strengthening unification education in schools. Lawmaker Kang Seung-gyu said, "Given that the current Unification Ministry aims at two states, there appears to be a possibility of indoctrinating a distorted view of inter-Korean unification, so we request a cut." This targeted the "peaceful two-state theory" that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has been emphasizing day after day.
No Jong-myeon of the Democratic Party, responding to the People Power Party's cut proposal, said, "I want to ask whether (the People Power Party) opposes unification," and added, "Don't inflate things to create fake news. If we are to conduct proper unification education and human rights education, we need money."
Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party member who chairs the budget subcommittee, said, "We are putting this on hold in deference to the opposition party's opinion, but I hope you will be a bit more forward-leaning."