[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized that he would speed up the processing of the 3rd supplementary budget bill. Regarding concerns about a rushed supplementary budget, he dismissed them by saying, "We have thoroughly reviewed it through meetings and other means."
At the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 30th, Floor Leader Kim said, "If the 3rd supplementary budget is not passed, it will be impossible to prevent the livelihood bankruptcy of 5 million self-employed people and others," adding, "Even if it means staying up all night, we will definitely pass it within the June National Assembly session."
He stated, "Since the supplementary budget was submitted to the National Assembly on the 4th, we have carefully reviewed it through meetings by standing committees. In fact, the supplementary budget review has been ongoing for a month," dismissing the rushed supplementary budget controversy raised by some.
Regarding the detailed items of the supplementary budget, he explained, "'2.5 trillion won has been allocated for fostering the K-quarantine industry and advancing the disaster response system," adding, "Among them are budgets for free vaccination for middle and high school students, expansion of negative pressure hospital beds, and research and development (R&D). A budget of 3.7 trillion won to revitalize the local economy is also included."
Floor Leader Kim emphasized, "As soon as the June National Assembly ends, we will push for a July extraordinary session," adding, "It is unreasonable for the National Assembly to rest during such an emergency. We will set a model for a working National Assembly." He also urged the United Future Party, saying, "The doors of the National Assembly are always wide open. We hope you return to the National Assembly as soon as possible."
Regarding the declaration of the end of the war, he said, "The United Future Party urged the Democratic Party to stop discussions on the declaration of the end of the war," expressing regret that "they are still stuck in Cold War thinking and are taking the same stance as the Japanese Abe government." He continued, "We must once again promote the declaration of the end of the war to rekindle the flame of peace," emphasizing, "We will push for the adoption of the declaration of the end of the war resolution in the National Assembly."
Cho Jung-sik, chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, criticized, "Japan is opposing South Korea's participation in the G7 summit," saying, "This cannot be considered a normal state attitude." He added, "Moreover, Japan's recent initiation of an anti-dumping investigation into Korean potassium carbonate is absolutely unacceptable," expressing strong regret over the Abe government's irrational actions and stating that the party and government will respond strongly to this.
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