By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

A governing party leader vowed Tuesday to unveil a plan to support middle-class families, expressing worries that the past decade saw an increase in people living at risk of poverty and a decrease in middle-class families.

In his speech at a plenary National Assembly session, Rep. Ahn Sang-soo, floor leader of the Grand National Party (GNP), warned that the undesirable trend has weakened consumption and set an obstacle to economic recovery as well as social integration.

"About half of Koreans are living in fear that they may fall into the trap of poverty. About 3 million people are reportedly considered working poor who work from early morning till late at night but their income still falls far below the level needed for their families to lead decent lives," said Ahn.

The GNP official pledged to come up with a set of measures to help families that feel that their salaries are not commensurate with their workload. However, he didn't specify what the measures would be.

Ahn recommended that the government elaborate on President Lee Myung-bak's North Korea initiative, dubbed the "Grand Bargain" aimed at exchanging the North's commitment to dismantle its nuclear program with security and economic incentives, to help South Korea take the peace initiative.

He called on the government to consider three principles when dealing with the North.

Under the proposal, Ahn called for the South to play a more active role in ending the program, linking economic assistances to denuclearization and seeking reciprocity in humanitarian assistance.

"It's important for us to work closely with other governments through a global partnership to settle the North's nuclear program. But it is equally important for South Korea to take the lead role in denuclearizing the North," he said.

Ahn also called on policymakers to link food assistance to the issue of South Koreans who were kidnapped by the North and lived there as prisoners of war.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr