Strike a compromise on next year’s budget
Published: 01 Dec. 2024, 19:56
Updated: 02 Dec. 2024, 12:48
The Democratic Party (DP) is poised to pass next year’s budget in the plenary session to be held on Monday after unilaterally slashing it in the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts last week. The one-sided passage of next year’s budget in the special committee is the first of its kind in Korea’s modern history. After the government denied the DP’s request to reflect its leader’s demand for a budget to issue local currencies, the party cut 4.1 trillion ($2.9 billion) from the original budget bill and passed the revision through the DP-dominated special committee.
But the DP’s reduction of the budget was politically motivated. The party entirely slashed the expenses for special activities by the presidential office, the National Security Office and the prosecution, not to mention the budget for special activities by the Board of Audit and Inspection and the police. The majority party’s attempt to neutralize the essential functions of powerful agencies went overboard.
The DP took the action as those offices “didn’t explain well how they will spend the money.” But they cannot specify the purposes of their special budget due to the secrecy required for their clandestine activities, including undercover investigations of drug or sexual crimes. The same secrecy applies to the special budget to ensure security for the president.
The DP also knows it very well. During the past Moon Jae-in administration, the DP allotted more than 50 billion won annually to the Presidential Security Service for its agents’ special activities. In 2022, a senior official from Moon’s Blue House even boasted of the DP’s reduction of the special budget for the presidential office to an average of 9.6 billion won per year. But who could sympathize with the DP’s cut of the budget to nil this time?
The majority party also curtailed the budget for the exploration of the gas field under the East Sea from 50.5 billion won to 800 million won. Can the party really deny its apparent move to obstruct what the government wants to do?
The DP cannot avoid criticism that it is only bent on relieving its leader of his deepening judicial risks. The party has repeatedly pushed for the impeachments of heads of powerful government organizations, including the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. If the majority party wants to hamper the normal function of law enforcement authorities, ordinary citizens will be the victims.
A few days ago, DP leader Lee Jae-myung expressed hope for “politics of coexistence.” If he is really sincere, he must start dialogue with the governing party. Rep. Woo Won-shik from the DP, the National Assembly speaker, must help the two parties reach a compromise before it’s too late.
But the DP’s reduction of the budget was politically motivated. The party entirely slashed the expenses for special activities by the presidential office, the National Security Office and the prosecution, not to mention the budget for special activities by the Board of Audit and Inspection and the police. The majority party’s attempt to neutralize the essential functions of powerful agencies went overboard.
The DP took the action as those offices “didn’t explain well how they will spend the money.” But they cannot specify the purposes of their special budget due to the secrecy required for their clandestine activities, including undercover investigations of drug or sexual crimes. The same secrecy applies to the special budget to ensure security for the president.
The DP also knows it very well. During the past Moon Jae-in administration, the DP allotted more than 50 billion won annually to the Presidential Security Service for its agents’ special activities. In 2022, a senior official from Moon’s Blue House even boasted of the DP’s reduction of the special budget for the presidential office to an average of 9.6 billion won per year. But who could sympathize with the DP’s cut of the budget to nil this time?
The majority party also curtailed the budget for the exploration of the gas field under the East Sea from 50.5 billion won to 800 million won. Can the party really deny its apparent move to obstruct what the government wants to do?
The DP cannot avoid criticism that it is only bent on relieving its leader of his deepening judicial risks. The party has repeatedly pushed for the impeachments of heads of powerful government organizations, including the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. If the majority party wants to hamper the normal function of law enforcement authorities, ordinary citizens will be the victims.
A few days ago, DP leader Lee Jae-myung expressed hope for “politics of coexistence.” If he is really sincere, he must start dialogue with the governing party. Rep. Woo Won-shik from the DP, the National Assembly speaker, must help the two parties reach a compromise before it’s too late.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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