Kim Jong-in "No Interest in Lee Hae-chan's 'Gong-su-cheo' Threat... If There Is No Budget, a Supplementary Budget Is Inevitable"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, bluntly stated that he has "no interest in threats" regarding Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea's pressure on the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI). He also added that although it may seem powerless, he will continue the existing parliamentary struggle stance. Regarding the 'disaster supplementary budget,' he said, "If there is no budget, we have no choice but to proceed with a supplementary budget."

On the morning of the 6th, after a closed Emergency Committee meeting at the National Assembly, Chairman Kim met with reporters and said, "Our floor leader is considering who is suitable as a member of the HOCI chief recommendation committee, but we are not very interested in the threatening remarks made by (Leader Lee)."

During the Emergency Committee meeting that day, an internal evaluation of the July National Assembly session was conducted. Chairman Kim said, "In a situation where the ruling party holds an absolute majority of seats, all parliamentary decisions are based on the majority rule principle, and as a party with a minority number of seats, resistance inevitably has its limits. Even if the opposition appears powerless, there is no other way in the process of parliamentary democracy except for individual members to properly point out the realities through discussions so that the public can be informed. There was no other response method."

On the same day, the People's Party emphasized the need for a disaster supplementary budget related to flood damage. Chairman Kim said, "Since the flood damage is severe and many disaster areas have occurred, if there is no budget for that, we have no choice but to proceed with a supplementary budget." However, Secretary General Song Eon-seok added, "This does not mean that a supplementary budget will definitely be made. It means that if there is no budget, that is the case, but first, the current budget should be utilized, then the contingency fund should be used, and only then should a supplementary budget be considered," preventing any misunderstanding.

Regarding the recent opinion polls showing the United Future Party's support rate nearly tied with the Democratic Party, he refrained from commenting, saying, "I do not want to express any position on the survey results." On the government's real estate policy, he pointed out, "It is such a hastily prepared situation that we need to wait and see whether it can be properly sustained."

Regarding the recent revision of the party platform, he said, "The outline will become clear soon," but concerning whether the proposed four-term limit for electoral districts will be included, he stated, "Term limits for lawmakers are not the kind of issue that should be included in the party platform."