"20,000 Won Communication Fee vs. Free Flu Vaccination and Childcare Costs"…Ruling and Opposition Parties' Final Tensions

4th Supplementary Budget, Detailed Review by Budget Committee Begins
Issues Still at an Impasse... Will It Be Possible to Pass at the Plenary Session on the 22nd?

Park Hong-geun, the Democratic Party of Korea's Budget and Accounts Committee secretary, and Choo Kyung-ho, the People Power Party's National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee secretary, are attending the 4th supplementary budget adjustment subcommittee held at the National Assembly on the 21st, exchanging fist bumps. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] The ruling and opposition parties began last-minute negotiations on the 21st for the disbursement of the 4th supplementary budget (supplementary budget). Although the agreed processing deadline is just one day away, a tense standoff continues with no concessions on the biggest issue, the 'telecommunication fee payment.' With the ruling party focusing on the timing of the processing and the opposition emphasizing the content, whether disaster relief funds will be provided before Chuseok is expected to be decided depending on the negotiation trend that day.

The National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held a supplementary budget adjustment subcommittee from 8 a.m. that day to conduct a detailed review of the supplementary budget bill. From the Democratic Party, Budget Committee Chairman Jeong Seong-ho, Secretary Park Hong-geun, and lawmakers Oh Ki-hyung, Lee Jeong-moon, and Han Jun-ho attended. From the People Power Party, Secretary Chu Kyung-ho and lawmakers Jo Hae-jin and Jeong Chan-min participated in the negotiations.

Considering that the ruling and opposition parties agreed to hold a plenary session of the National Assembly at 2 p.m. on the 22nd to process the 4th supplementary budget bill, time is not abundant. It takes several hours just to prepare the budget statement (sheet work) reflecting the final decision after the full Budget Committee meeting. It is said that the outline of negotiations on the biggest issue, the 20,000 KRW telecommunication fee support for all citizens aged 13 and over, must be settled within the day.

The People Power Party proposed using the 930 billion KRW budget allocated for the 20,000 KRW telecommunication fee payment to expand free influenza vaccinations, extend care expenses to middle and high school students, and provide disaster relief funds to drivers affiliated with corporate taxis. The intention is to provide substantial support where it is most needed.

The ruling party, which emphasizes payment before Chuseok, is deliberating carefully. The government stresses maintaining the original plan for telecommunication fee payments, but the ruling party left room for negotiation. They are cautious about the opposition's proposal for free influenza vaccinations. Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo said on a radio program that day, "If both telecommunication fees and free influenza vaccinations are expanded focusing on vulnerable groups, and each side makes just one concession, a mutually beneficial solution can be reached."

However, even now, it is difficult to predict the outcome of the ruling and opposition negotiations. The People Power Party reiterated that the ruling party should withdraw the policy of blanket telecommunication fee payments, emphasizing opposing public opinion. On the morning of the same day at the National Assembly's Supreme Council meeting, People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young stressed, "There should be no stubbornness just because the leader proposed it or the president said so, so that the budget can be processed normally at tomorrow’s plenary session."

On the other hand, the Democratic Party once again emphasized the processing of the supplementary budget bill on the 22nd. At the Supreme Council meeting that day, Democratic Party floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon urged the opposition to cooperate, saying, "A small difference in opinion cannot take precedence over the public’s urgency. What is important is to pass it on the promised date."