The Democratic Party leans toward 'Selective Payment' for 3rd Disaster Relief Fund... "Support Before Seol Principle"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The Democratic Party of Korea and the government have decided to provide the 3rd disaster relief fund through selective distribution. The timing is expected to be around February next year, before the Lunar New Year holiday.

Choi In-ho, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on MBC Radio on the morning of the 30th and, when asked about the results of the high-level party-government meeting held the previous day to discuss the 3rd disaster relief fund payment, said, "The party and government have largely agreed on a tailored emergency damage support fund."

When asked about the recipients and scale of the payment, he said, "During the 2nd tailored disaster damage support fund, 3.8 trillion won was paid to self-employed and small business owners. Since the opposition party is also advocating for a similar amount, we need to take that into consideration." Regarding the timing of the payment, he said, "The principle is to provide support before the Lunar New Year, but various factors need to be considered."

Regarding whether it is necessary to issue government bonds to pay the 3rd disaster relief fund, he said, "There are two changes compared to when the (main) budget was formulated. One is the need to purchase additional COVID-19 vaccines for public health, and the other is the urgent need to support the heavily affected groups." He added, "If additional budget allocation is not made, we will not be able to prepare for the future."

When asked about the People Power Party's proposal to cut 10 trillion won from the New Deal budget to fund the relief, he responded, "There can be no cuts to the New Deal budget." He continued, "The New Deal budget is a national economic strategy to respond to the COVID-19 economic downturn and a core budget to enhance South Korea's future economic competitiveness. Cutting it is tantamount to giving up on South Korea's economic future."

Regarding Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's call for universal disaster relief payments, Chief Spokesperson Choi said, "I believe the governor expressed his usual conviction," but added, "First, we must consider the country's fiscal capacity and the opposition party's position while negotiating and deciding the budget. The principle of securing the budget is to ensure effective support for heavily affected groups such as the self-employed and small business owners," expressing a negative stance.

Meanwhile, Chief Spokesperson Choi said about the current National Assembly issue of establishing the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI), "(We) are considering convening a temporary session," but added, "Especially regarding the HOCI Act, it is firm that it must be passed in the regular session so that the HOCI can be launched within the year."

Regarding the People Power Party's demand to hold a parliamentary inquiry related to the disciplinary case of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, he said, "We consider it part of the opposition party's political strife. What is important now is for the Ministry of Justice to proceed swiftly with the disciplinary process, and since an investigation request has already been made, a parliamentary inquiry cannot be held while the investigation or trial is ongoing."