Democratic Party's Final Ultimatum: "What Is United Party's Stance on Disaster Relief Funds? No Time Left"

Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] On the 22nd, the Democratic Party of Korea issued a final ultimatum to the United Future Party to clearly state their position on disaster relief funds. Although they promised nationwide payments before the general election, the situation has reached a deadlock due to opposition from the government and the opposition party, and now is the time for a decision. The most important factor is 'urgency.'

Before the general election, it was expected that there would be little controversy over the payment target as former United Future Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn declared a '500,000 won payment to all citizens.' However, after the election, the United Future Party argued that issuing national bonds was not acceptable and proposed a 70% payment. The Ministry of Economy and Finance also maintained its stance that nationwide payments were difficult, causing the situation to become more complicated. Above all, with the United Future Party's leadership structure unsettled, even negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties have become difficult. The Democratic Party, feeling the pressure, is desperate for a breakthrough.

At the Supreme Council meeting on the 22nd, Democratic Party floor leader Lee In-young demanded, "What is the United Future Party's party stance on the emergency disaster relief fund? Is the party stance for nationwide payment still valid, or has it changed to the claim of Budget Committee Chairman Kim Jae-won? If the party stance has changed, I hope they clearly declare it." This reflects the background that they can no longer wait.

If the United Future Party's party stance is a 70% payment, the Democratic Party has also shown a willingness to consider it. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Chan-dae said to reporters that day, "Timing is important. We asked what the United Future Party's opinion is because we cannot waste time over 70% or 100%." The Democratic Party's goal is to reach an agreement by the end of this month and make payments next month.

Park also emphasized, "Support funds that can create a virtuous cycle in the real economy, which is in crisis due to COVID-19, need to be provided urgently. We have the painful experience of dragging out an emergency supplementary budget for 120 days due to Japan's trade retaliation last year, so this time we want to proceed without delay."

Within the Democratic Party, lawmaker Lee Seok-hyun has also expressed the opinion, "Should we risk fiscal deterioration and borrow money to provide 100% support? If the ruling party does not understand the government's position to support 70%, then who will?"

Meanwhile, the United Future Party's Supreme Council member Cho Kyung-tae has also expressed the view that actively cooperating with the ruling party's position to provide 100% support is desirable. He is the only Supreme Council member who won in this general election and holds the status of the party's second-in-command after acting leader Shim Jae-cheol. This is also why the Democratic Party demands a unified position from the United Future Party.

The government, concerned about fiscal soundness, maintains the policy of 'payment to the bottom 70% income bracket' and has submitted a second supplementary budget bill worth 7.6 trillion won to the National Assembly. The Democratic Party is interpreted to have a strategy to persuade the government based on bipartisan agreement.

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