'Was It Yeongbingwan Kim Gun-hee's Directive?' Question... Han Duck-soo: "The Budget Was Not Reflected That Way"

"Budget to be decided after thorough review with the Ministry of Economy and Finance Budget Office"

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is attending the political sector government questioning session held at the National Assembly plenary hall on the 19th, responding to lawmakers' questions. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated on the 20th that the plan to build a new State Guest House, which was withdrawn by the Presidential Office, could not have been reflected in the budget as a result of First Lady Kim Keon-hee's instructions.

During the National Assembly's government questioning session that day, in response to a question from Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, Prime Minister Han said, "Those in charge of the matter review it from a budgetary perspective, and once a conclusion is reached, the Ministry of Economy and Finance's Budget Office, which is the agency responsible for preparing the budget in the executive branch, thoroughly reviews it before a decision is made."

The opposition party claims that the new State Guest House construction was ordered by First Lady Kim. This is based on a 7-hour phone conversation with a reporter from 'Seoul's Voice,' during which Kim allegedly mentioned the 'relocation of the State Guest House.'

When asked whether he tried to conceal the new State Guest House construction project, Prime Minister Han explained, "There was no such intention. How could we possibly dare to hide the budget?" He added, "The National Assembly reviews it, the Board of Audit and Inspection reviews it, and since the budget execution is monitored in real time, such a thing cannot happen."

Earlier, on the 19th, during a government questioning session, Prime Minister Han sparked controversy by answering "I did not know and found out through the newspapers" when asked if he was aware of the new State Guest House construction.

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