Rival parties wrangle over budget bill following deadline extension

Ruling People Power Party leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho speaks during a discussion meeting at the Members' Office Building in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Dec. 3. Yonhap

Rival parties wrangled Tuesday over next year's budget bill as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) insisted on keeping the government's proposal, while the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) demanded a revision to increase the issuance of local currency vouchers.

The DPK railroaded a downsized budget bill through the parliamentary budget committee last week and aimed to pass it through a plenary parliamentary session Monday before National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik put the plan on hold and urged the rival parties to reach a compromise by next Tuesday.

The current bill proposed by the majority DPK puts next year's budget at 677.4 trillion won ($345 billion), down 4.1 trillion won from the government's initial proposal, following cuts in the government's reserve fund and the special activity expenses of the presidential office's secretariat and national security office, as well as those of the prosecution, the state audit agency and the police.

"Without an apology from the Democratic Party of Korea and the withdrawal of the budget bill that was passed unilaterally, we will not agree to any kind of talks," PPP floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho told reporters.

"If the DPK wants to talk about increasing the budget (to issue more) local currency vouchers, they should have negotiated with us before passing it unilaterally," he said.

The DPK has been pushing to earmark 2 trillion won for the issuance of local currency vouchers, which are designed to help small merchants and the self-employed, in line with a signature policy of its leader Lee Jae-myung.

"Should the government and the People Power Party wish at all to revive people's livelihoods and the economy, they should stop uttering nonsense and bring us an increased budget proposal meant to revive people's livelihoods and the economy," DPK floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae said during a party meeting. (Yonhap)