RULING PARTY VOWS NEW RELIEF PAYOUTS

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The ruling party has vowed to pay a new round of covid relief payouts to all citizens next January. The decision is based on the proposition made by the party's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung. The funds will be included indirectly in the 2022 state budget. The opposition camp blasted the DP for just renaming the universal COVID-19 relief payouts due to public criticism.

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The Democratic Party has officially announced its plan for a new round of Covid-19 relief payouts to all citizens next January. The amount is estimated at 200,000-250,000 won per person.

[Soundbite] Yoon Ho-jung(DP floor leader) : "Funding must be intended to help small businesses benefit from living with the COVID-19."

The funds will be earmarked from 10 trillion won to 15 trillion won in this year's excess tax revenues. However, taxes will be levied next year. If they are collected this year, they must be first allocated to paying off the national debt and funding provincial governments. The ruling party says it will include the payouts in the 2022 state budget by expanding funding for containing the Covid-19 outbreak. The DP apparently wants to minimize disagreement with the financial authorities while reflecting its presidential candidate's proposal to provide universal Covid-19 relief funds. A party official said even when the nation transitions to living with covid, individuals still have to spend money on purchasing personal hygiene items such as masks. People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl blasted the DP for what he called malicious populism. He says the ruling camp simply wants to pay the public by adjusting the time of levying taxes. Yoon stressed the need to pay 50 trillion won directly to small businesses that have sustained losses during the pandemic.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "If no compensation is paid, the post-COVID-19 life will also be precarious. If all small businesses fall off the cliff, we must rescue them again through subsidies."

The Justice Party also criticized the DP for what it called a blatant strategy to buy voters. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Party also lashed out at the ruling camp, saying it's gambling with national debt for populist political goals. The ruling and opposition camps are likely to further clash over the relief payouts when deliberations on the state budget begins.