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Lee calls for bipartisan support to get largest-ever budget approved by deadline

Published: 27 Nov. 2025, 16:11

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a senior secretariat meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Nov. 13. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called on lawmakers to work together across party lines to ensure next year’s government budget is passed by the legal deadline.

“Bipartisan cooperation in the National Assembly is crucial to process the budget by the statutory deadline,” Lee said during a senior secretariat meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

He also encouraged flexibility in accommodating opposition demands where reasonable.

“If there are legitimate points in the opposition’s arguments, we should adopt them boldly,” he said. “If there are additional requests that do not pose major issues, it may be a good idea to consider accepting them to some extent.”

However, he also drew a line, saying, “Of course, unreasonable budget cuts would be difficult to accept, but a closer look might reveal rational elements in some of their arguments.”

Under the National Assembly Act, the review period for the budget bill ends on Sunday and the statutory deadline for passage is Tuesday. The government’s proposed 2026 budget amounts to 728 trillion won ($496.96 billion), the largest in Korean history.

President Lee also said international institutions have reacted positively to the government’s fiscal policy.

“Major institutions like the International Monetary Fund have praised the government’s active fiscal stance,” he said. “Some organizations have even significantly revised their growth outlooks upward for next year.”

Timely budget approval, he stressed, is vital for accelerating the recovery of the domestic economy and supporting Korea’s broader development goals.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]