Kim Sanghoon: "No Indiscriminate, Wasteful Supplementary Budget by the Opposition... Livelihood Issues Come First"

"Revitalizing the Real Economy or Building Achievements for Lee Jaemyung?"
"Passing Livelihood Bills Is More Important Than Funding for Local Currency Programs"

Kim Sanghoon, Policy Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, responded to the Democratic Party of Korea's call for a supplementary budget, stating, "A wasteful supplementary budget that indiscriminately injects cash must never be allowed."

Yonhap News

At a party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on January 7, Kim emphasized, "Most of the funding for a supplementary budget comes from government debt, so it must be allocated efficiently and precisely to areas where it is truly needed." He made these remarks in response to the proposal.

He continued, "Legislation for people's livelihoods should take priority over a supplementary budget," adding, "On January 5, the Democratic Party's Policy Committee demanded the formation of a supplementary budget. Ultimately, their demand is once again about securing funding for local currency programs."

Kim also criticized, "There is a huge gap between this and the remarks made by Representative Lee Jaemyung, who said he was open to discussions on a supplementary budget if it would help economic recovery. What is the Democratic Party's true intention? Is it to revitalize the economy for the people, or to create achievements for Lee Jaemyung?"

Kim further stated, "During the 2025 budget negotiations, the People Power Party proposed an increase of 3.4 trillion won in the budget to boost the real economy, including 300 billion won for local currency programs." He added, "However, the Democratic Party refused to agree on the budget bill and pushed through the 2025 budget unilaterally. Do they now have the right to demand a supplementary budget to secure funding for local currency programs?"

He also stressed the urgency of passing livelihood-related bills such as the K-Chips Act, which increases tax credits for semiconductor companies, the Special Act on Semiconductors, and the National Key Power Grid Expansion Act. Kim stated, "A wasteful supplementary budget that indiscriminately distributes cash for the issuance of local gift certificates, as demanded by the Democratic Party, will not help the people." He continued, "If they are truly a party that cares about people's livelihoods, they should actively participate in a trilateral consultative body among the ruling party, opposition party, and government to address livelihood bills stalled in the National Assembly, rather than pushing for a wasteful supplementary budget."