Lee Jun-seok "Nationwide Disaster Relief Fund Agreement? Closer to a Guideline Than a Definitive Agreement"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, described the outcome of the meeting with Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, regarding the ‘nationwide disaster relief fund payment’ as "closer to a guideline than a definitive agreement." Although it was reported as an agreement, it was not actually one.

On the 13th, Lee explained this to reporters regarding the meeting between the ruling and opposition party leaders held the previous day. He said, "As Goh Yong-jin, senior spokesperson of the Democratic Party, briefed yesterday, this issue requires consultation with policy officials from both parties, so it is a matter that needs internal discussion," adding, "After the meeting, I met face-to-face with Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader, and the chairman of the policy committee to discuss and finalize our party’s position."

Lee clarified, "I am organizing this because different stories seem to be coming out about various facts." He explained, "The People Power Party’s party stance was to expand support for small business owners and minimize support for consumption stimulation. Regarding the expansion of support for small business owners, Leader Song agreed that the amount should be increased beyond what is included in the Democratic Party and government proposals. We agreed to significantly increase support for small business owners by raising the upper limit, as there were concerns that the 9 million KRW support was insufficient." He continued, "According to the Democratic Party and government proposals, the 80% nationwide disaster relief fund payment is not significantly different from 100%, so I said it could be sufficiently reviewed."

Lee attributed the lack of proper communication about the agreement to issues with spokesperson communication due to COVID-19 quarantine measures. He explained, "The information we conveyed was not read item by item but explained in a summarized manner, so the expressions were somewhat different, but there was no major difference in content. As both spokespersons said yesterday, they were aware that additional internal discussions were necessary."

He also explained the possibility of increasing the supplementary budget size to provide the nationwide disaster relief fund. Lee said, "There was no agreement to increase the funding, so I think there is room for different interpretations with the Democratic Party," but added, "Since the People Power Party has always opposed increasing the supplementary budget, I believe there is little room for misunderstanding."

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