Lee Nak-yeon "Deputy Prime Minister's Opinion Is Not Final... Prepared to Fight in Party-Government Consultations"

Lee Nak-yeon, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea
Attends Party-Government Meeting on the Evening of the 14th Regarding the '4th Disaster Relief Fund'
"Support More Broadly and Deeply... Ready to Fight"

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, drew a line regarding the exposure of disagreements with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki over the payment of the 4th disaster relief fund, stating that "the opinion of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy is not final."

At a Lunar New Year public sentiment press conference held at the National Assembly on the 14th, Lee responded to reporters' questions pointing out discord between the party and the government by acknowledging that "(there) can be differences in views (between the party and the government)," but added, "I agree that the sharp exposure of differences in thought is not a good sight for the public."

He added, "Depending on the institution and the area they are responsible for, there can be differences in thought." However, he emphasized, "While the opinion of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy is very important in budget formulation, it is clear that it is not final."

Lee also indicated his intention to strongly persuade the government side regarding the disaster relief fund at the party-government consultation scheduled for that evening. He said, "Even if we negotiate economic stimulus support while observing the COVID-19 trend, I will demand that tailored support for the vulnerable be provided 'more broadly and more substantially' by the government," adding, "I will go into (today's party-government consultation) prepared to fight."

He explained, "What is clear is that it should be broader and thicker than the 3rd (disaster relief fund). 'More broadly' means reducing the blind spots in the system, and 'more substantially' means we will have to engage in a tug-of-war with the government to find out."

Earlier, on the 2nd, Lee promoted the payment of the 4th disaster relief fund, encompassing both tailored and universal support, through a negotiation group representative speech. The Democratic Party's policy is to first provide differentiated payments to vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19, and then provide universal support later depending on the COVID-19 quarantine situation.

He also revealed plans to expedite the payment of the disaster relief fund within next month. Lee said, "We will finish consultations within this month and submit the supplementary budget bill to the National Assembly in early March, and as soon as it is approved, we will hasten to pay the 4th disaster relief fund within March."

Lee also stated, "We will speed up deliberations on the three coexistence solidarity laws aimed at sharing the pain among the people and alleviating inequality," adding, "Our party will focus its capabilities on overcoming COVID-19 and restoring livelihoods and the economy. We will steadily prepare for inequality improvement and a great transformation."

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