President to deliver budget speech at Assembly

By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in

President Moon Jae-in will address the nation from the National Assembly Nov. 1 calling for bipartisan support for the passage of next year’s budget bill, according to Cheong Wa Dae Monday.

The presidential office said it and the Assembly finalized the speech schedule.

It will be Moon’s second speech at the Assembly, with the first one being delivered in June ahead of the National Assembly review of the extra budget bill.

Moon is expected to request cooperation from opposition parties for passage of the budget bill which will help his administration gain momentum in carrying out various reform measures and creating jobs.

Following Moon’s address, the Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts is scheduled to start a one-month review of the budget bill Nov. 2 with the aim of putting it to a vote at a plenary session by the Dec. 2 deadline. But the National Assembly has barely kept the deadline.

For the bill to be passed, it requires more than half of 299 lawmakers’ attendance and votes from more than half of the attendees.