By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

The Liberty Forward Party (LFP) Tuesday appeared disgruntled at the two major parties handling of the budget deal, without listening to minor parties, calling it ``a league of their own.''

The move came a day after the governing Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) agreed on the separation of the budget proposal into two parts ― the four-river refurbishment project and the remaining budget plan.

Rep. Ryu Keun-chan, an LFP spokesman, expressed worries over the lack of representation from minor parties in the budget deal, urging the two parties to consider inviting representatives from minor parties to discussions.

Negotiators from the two parties sat down again Tuesday to try and narrow their differences. But the deep discrepancies over the four-river project prevented them from reaching a compromise.

Under the two-track approach, chief policymakers, Reps. Kim Seong-jo of the GNP and Park Byeong-seug of the DP, dealt with the river project.

Two ranking lawmakers of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, Reps. Kim Gwang-lim of the GNP and Lee Si-jong of the DP, sat down to reach a consensus on the remaining budget.

During negotiations on the river project, Park asked for a reduction of 1.5 trillion won from the budget. He also proposed a bipartisan panel to review the impact of the plan.

In addition, he demanded scaling back the plan to ensure that the project was not aimed at building a cross-country canal.

GNP negotiator Kim rejected it.

But he shared the need to set up a body to review the river project.

During the negotiations over the remaining budget proposal, the GNP and the DP shared the need for an increased budget for social services and supportive measures for low-income families.

But they differed over how much it should be.

The GNP proposed an increase of 1.5 trillion won to the proposed budget, while the DP suggested an additional 5.1 trillion for measures to protect children and fight the falling birthrate.

The two-track approach was agreed between floor leaders of the GNP and the DP in a closed door meeting Monday night.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr