Choo Kyung-ho: "If the Democratic Party does not apologize and withdraw after the budget bill rush, there will be no further negotiations"

On the 1st, Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, immediately demanded an apology and withdrawal after the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally passed next year's budget bill at the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, reflecting only cuts without any increases.

Yonhap News

At a press briefing held that day, Floor Leader Choo said, "Unless the major opposition party, the Democratic Party, first apologizes and withdraws the reduced budget bill, we will not engage in any further negotiations on the budget."

He continued, "If the Democratic Party intends to use the forced passage in the Budget and Accounts Committee by majority power as leverage to intimidate the opposition into accepting unreasonable budget increases, I hope they abandon such tricks altogether."

Floor Leader Choo criticized, "The unilateral passage of the budget bill is a reckless act unprecedented in constitutional history, carried out under the directive of 'Democratic Party Father' Lee Jae-myung," and added, "the indiscriminate cuts to disaster and emergency preparedness budgets, as well as to livelihood and public safety budgets, are budgetary violence and parliamentary violence that use budget review rights as a tool for political strife to intimidate the government and ruling party."

He further stated, "If the Democratic Party intends to use the forced passage in the Budget and Accounts Committee by majority power as leverage to intimidate the opposition into accepting unreasonable budget increases, I hope they abandon such tricks altogether," and said, "Unless the major opposition party, the Democratic Party, first apologizes and withdraws the reduced budget bill, we will not engage in any further negotiations on the budget."

Floor Leader Choo said, "If the budget bill is passed according to the Democratic Party's proposal by the legal deadline of December 2, there will be many difficulties ahead, but the People Power Party and the government will make every effort to prepare for the execution of next year's budget by minimizing the expected side effects through close cooperation between the party and the government, utilizing all lawful means."