[Photo] 'Budget Increased Again'

On the 3rd, the National Assembly plenary session passed the next year's budget bill amounting to 607.6633 trillion won. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Hong Nam-ki is giving a proposal explanation regarding next year's budget bill at the National Assembly plenary session on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok is striking the gavel to announce the passage of the next year's budget bill amounting to 607.6633 trillion won at the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hong Nam-ki attended the National Assembly plenary session held on the 3rd to discuss the budget bill for the next year, and are talking before the start of the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers are filming the plenary session with their mobile phones in the National Assembly plenary hall on the 3rd. On the same day, the National Assembly approved next year's budget totaling 607.6633 trillion won. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Dong-joo] On the 3rd, the National Assembly plenary session passed the next year's budget bill amounting to 607.6633 trillion won. The approved budget is an increase of 3.3 trillion won from the government's proposal (604.4 trillion won), marking the second consecutive year of an increase over the government proposal. The budget size is also the largest ever.

The National Assembly had planned to hold a late-night plenary session the day before the legal deadline to process the budget bill. However, due to last-minute negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties and delays in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's sheet work (adjustment of figures), the processing deadline was ultimately missed.