$2-Million Budget Asked For Pyongyang Summit

Home > National > Politics

print dictionary print

$2-Million Budget Asked For Pyongyang Summit

The Ministry of Unification is seeking 2.6 billion won ($2 million) for next year's proposed inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.

That amount was included in the ministry's budget proposal submitted last week to the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. In total, the ministry requested about 5.6 billion won for a series of inter-Korean projects and events planned for next year, dwarfing this year's budget of 1 billion won.

The 2.6 billion won request for the summit, said a ministry official, "is based on the assumption that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, will visit Seoul prior to the summit in Pyongyang, and that inter-Korean summits will be a fixture."

The ministry also requested 2.6 billion won to pay for about 24 expected high-level talks between Seoul and Pyongyang and other exchanges. Separately, it asked for 800 billion won for the South-North Cooperation Fund.

The opposition said the government was trying to boost its chances in the 2002 elections through the requests.



by Ko Jung-ae

Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)