2.6 Billion Won Set Aside for Elderly’s Dental Care
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The National Assembly approved a supplementary budget bill of 4.56 trillion won Thursday to help alleviate the economic difficulties facing ordinary households hit by rising energy and consumer prices.
Two hundred and forty lawmakers voted for the bill, with 16 objecting and 11 abstaining during a plenary session.
In another development, 2.6 billion won has been set aside to provide dental care for elderly people aged 70 or older.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) had insisting on including this in the government's supplementary budget but conceded later that the money would come from funds prepared to enhance people's health.
The budget bill is an increase of 300.8 billion won from the original proposal passed by an ad hoc parliamentary committee last Thursday.
250 billion won will be used to assist financially strapped college students and 50.8 billion won will be provided to cover heating costs at nursing homes over winter.
Under the bill, the Korea Electric Power Corp. will be given 1.6 trillion won and the Korea Gas Corp., 840 billion won to help them cut operating losses linked to soaring oil prices.
As a result, taxpayers, especially those in the low-income bracket, are expected to pay less for gas and electricity.
Last week, the governing Grand National Party (GNP) attempted to unilaterally pass the bill to help President Lee Myung-bak focus on his reform drive.
The party with support from the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party passed the proposal in a meeting of the ad hoc Budget and Accounts Committee.
However, the DP opposed the agreement, asking for 650 billion won to be allocated to support social minorities and financially strapped students instead of subsidizing inefficient public corporations.
The party boycotted the vote to endorse the budget bill and the ruling party failed to meet the quorum needed for approval.
GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo offered his resignation to take responsibility for the failure. But political observers said the parliamentary endorsement will likely enable him to maintain his post.