The Democratic Party of Korea plans to handle the supplementary budget in early next month after it is submitted by the government on the 31st. Emphasizing the economic crisis stemming from the prolonged Middle East situation, the party also urged the People Power Party to cooperate in handling the supplementary budget bill.
Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party floor leader, said at a floor countermeasures meeting at the National Assembly on the 24th, "To overcome the Middle East-driven economic crisis, not only the public and private sectors but also the political sphere must unite as one," and added, "We cannot help but question whether the People Power Party deserves to be called a responsible political party as it continues political strife even in a national crisis."
He added, "(The People Power Party) is scrambling to distort the supplementary budget bill for electoral purposes even before it is submitted to the National Assembly," and said, "The Democratic Party will never tolerate any attempt to wage political strife over the government's livelihood-focused supplementary budget or to make it the subject of 'transaction.'"
Kim Hyun-jung, the party's floor spokesperson, told reporters after the floor countermeasures meeting the same day, "The supplementary budget bill is slated to be submitted to the National Assembly after a party-government consultation on the 26th and a Cabinet approval on the 31st, and a policy address is expected in early April," adding, "The People Power Party wants to delay it as much as possible, but (the Democratic Party) intends to process the supplementary budget bill as quickly as possible."
Regarding a media report that the supplementary budget would include a plan to provide livelihood support payments to the bottom 50%, Kim said, "I understand the presidential office explained that it is not true, and there has been no separate discussion (at the party-government-presidential office level)," adding, "We only confirmed that it is not true."