<기사>Party-Government-Blue House to Invest 3.4 Trillion Won in New Coronavirus Response... Expansion of Entry Ban "Temporarily On Hold" (Update)

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Chung Sye-kyun, Prime Minister, are attending a high-level meeting of the party, government, and Blue House on response to the novel coronavirus held at the National Assembly on the 5th. On this day, the party, government, and Blue House reviewed the quarantine situation so far and discussed quarantine measures and economic support plans. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Wondara and Jeon Jinyoung] The Democratic Party of Korea, the government, and the Blue House have decided to utilize 3.4 trillion KRW in contingency funds to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia). However, regarding the complete ban on Chinese nationals entering the country and the expansion of entry ban areas, they decided to monitor the situation further before making a decision.

Hong Ik-pyo, the senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated in a briefing immediately after the party-government-Blue House meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 5th to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, "Currently, there is 2 trillion KRW in earmarked contingency funds and 1.4 trillion KRW in general contingency funds," adding, "We plan to actively and appropriately utilize a total of 3.4 trillion KRW in available contingency funds."

Spokesperson Hong explained, "The estimated budget needed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare is about 130 billion KRW, and 28 billion KRW has already been spent," and added, "If support for the economy and industry is also provided, I think the amount will increase significantly." He continued, "The Ministry of Strategy and Finance will additionally compile estimated budgets for various support measures such as tax support and financial support, and I think the related contingency funds will be actively utilized at that time."

They decided not to prepare a separate supplementary budget bill. When asked if a supplementary budget bill would be prepared, Spokesperson Hong replied, "We judged that the 3.4 trillion KRW contingency fund is sufficient to handle the situation," and said, "The supplementary budget was not discussed in today's meeting."

The party-government-Blue House decided to monitor the situation further before deciding on a complete entry ban on Chinese nationals. Previously, the government announced a limited entry ban measure starting at midnight the previous day, restricting entry of passport holders from Hubei Province and all foreigners who had visited Hubei Province within the last 14 days. This led to criticism from some quarters that the entry ban areas should be expanded.

When asked if there was any discussion about expanding the entry ban, Spokesperson Hong said, "There was none." He added, "Since the entry ban and special management entry procedures for Hubei Province have been in effect since yesterday, it is a matter to be judged after monitoring the situation further." He continued, "I think it is a matter to be judged by observing the current government measures and the virus situation within China," and added, "We plan to monitor the opinions of the quarantine authorities centered on the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and expert groups before making a judgment."