The Democratic Party of Korea said it will pass a supplementary budget to respond to the Middle East situation at a plenary session by Aug. 9. It urged the People Power Party to actively cooperate in passing the budget bill.
Jung Chung-rae, the Democratic Party leader, said at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 30th, "We will handle the supplementary budget at the fastest pace in history," and "We will actively join President Lee Jae-myung's efforts to respond swiftly to the Middle East war and stabilize people's livelihoods."
He added, "On livelihoods, there is no ruling or opposition camp. We again ask the People Power Party to actively cooperate at least on this 'war supplementary budget' for the sake of our corporations and the public," and said, "Measures are urgently needed to secure energy supplies and manage oil prices, to protect exporting companies and preemptively respond to economic fallout, and to manage prices and stabilize livelihoods."
Kang Joon-hyun, the Democratic Party chief spokesperson, said, "Regarding the supplementary budget, the government will submit the bill to the National Assembly on the 31st, and early next month the president is preparing a policy speech," adding, "The Democratic Party's goal is to pass it at the Aug. 9 plenary session."
He continued, "There are signs the Middle East war may drag on, so we will make every effort to support livelihoods," and said, "We strongly urge the People Power Party to cooperate so that we can support four areas, including responses to high oil prices and livelihood support, industry support, and supply chain stability."