Yeongnam Confucian Scholars Urge "Review of Supplementary Budget for New Coronavirus"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Leading figures of the Democratic Party in the Yeongnam region have called for measures such as the preparation of a supplementary budget (추경) to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Du-kwan, Kim Boo-kyum, and Kim Young-choon issued a joint statement on the 12th proposing ▲consideration of supplementary budget preparation through special committees and party-government consultations ▲establishment of a ‘Coronavirus Livelihood Measures Special Committee’ within the party ▲holding of emergency party-government consultations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The three lawmakers explained the purpose of their proposal, saying, “As the novel coronavirus spreads recently, large events have been canceled and consumer sentiment has frozen, severely threatening the livelihoods of ordinary people as well as traditional markets. The nation and political circles must step up to help in any way possible.”

They continued, “(In the Yeongnam region) Hyundai-Kia Motors’ production lines have all come to a halt due to disruptions in the supply of Chinese automatic parts, and subcontractors have also stopped operations, causing serious damage to the regional economy. Although metropolitan local governments are providing emergency management funds, it is insufficient. The severity of the regional economy is very different from what the central government and bureaucratic society perceive,” they emphasized.

Regarding the supplementary budget for coronavirus response, they said, “During the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, the government prepared a supplementary budget worth 11.6 trillion won. At that time, legal requirements were insufficient, but now there is clear legal basis to regard it as a social disaster.” They added, “We appeal to the opposition party. During the MERS supplementary budget, Moon Jae-in, then leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, consistently showed a stance of bipartisan cooperation.”

They stated, “There is no ruling or opposition party when it comes to people’s livelihoods. Once the supplementary budget is prepared, an extraordinary session of the National Assembly should be promptly convened to pass it with bipartisan agreement,” and added, “We earnestly appeal to fellow lawmakers from both parties to decorate the finale of the 20th National Assembly with politics of coexistence.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.