Parties in final talks over extra budget bill

The ruling and opposition parties made a last-ditch effort to narrow their gaps over the government-proposed supplementary budget bill, Friday.

The chance for the passage of the bill has grown as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and two minor opposition parties are in favor of it despite protests by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

In the 11.2 trillion ($9.74 billion) won extra budget plan, the allocation of 8 billion won to create 12,000 public service jobs has been the bone of contention.

The budget bill, submitted to the National Assembly June 7, is mainly aimed at creating jobs, especially civil service jobs such as firefighters, social workers and teachers.

The LKP and the minor opposition People’s Party and Bareun Party claimed the government’s financial sustainability is questionable because of the increase.

“We are unsure if the government measured the demand for public service jobs accurately and how it will manage the increased personnel and their salaries,” LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik said.

“The government has not explained why we need them, but has repeated that it was President Moon Jae-in’s campaign pledge,” Kim Do-eup, an LKP representative on the National Assembly Budget Committee, said.

Following continuous disapproval of the opposition parties, representatives of the ruling and opposition parties held negotiations and agreed to lower the number of such jobs at the request of the opposition parties.

Of the 12,000, 7,500 will belong to local governments, so the parties initially agreed to reduce the budget for the 4,500 central government jobs only.

The government again proposed it would further cut the number to 2,800, so the parties have been discussing the final draft.

The DPK and the People’s Party also discussed using a 50 billion won reserve fund, instead of allocating 8 billion won in the extra budget, for public job creation.

People’s Party leader Park Joo-sun said it was an acceptable alternative on the condition that the government submits a detailed five-year management plan for new civil servants.

The LKP, however, kept showing a negative response to the bill, saying that increasing the number of public servants would be a financial burden for future generations.

Persuading the opposition parties, the DPK said they also made similar pledges during the presidential campaign but changed their position, saying their opposition only intended to hold back the new administration.

“LKP candidate Hong Joon-pyo then vowed to introduce 3,400 firefighters annually and 17,000 over five years. Where has this noble pledge gone now?” Rep. Woo Won-shik, the DPK floor leader, asked during a party meeting.

“The opposition merely dragged us into a tug of war, using its majority power.”

He claimed the supplementary budget would help the government increase quality jobs which can improve public service for citizens.