Budget proposal processing delays again this year

[Anchor]

Today (Dec.2), for the first time in history, a budget proposal created by the opposition party was on the verge of passing in the National Assembly.

The ruling party strongly opposed it, and the National Assembly Speaker did not present the budget proposal, so it was ultimately postponed for today.

As a result, the deadline for processing the budget proposal, which was set for today, was not met again this year.

Reporter Lee Yoon-woo has the story.

[Report]

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, who urged last-minute negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties, ultimately decided to postpone the presentation of the budget proposal.

He apologized for exceeding the legal processing deadline.

[Woo Won-shik/National Assembly Speaker: "I am very sorry and regretful. I apologize to the people."]

Accordingly, the ruling and opposition parties have violated the constitutional deadline for processing the budget proposal for four consecutive years.

Earlier, in the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the Democratic Party processed a revised budget proposal that reflected a reduction of 4.1 trillion won without any increase for the first time in history from the government's budget proposal of 677.4 trillion won, and had announced its passage in today's plenary session.

Many analyses suggested that this was a last-ditch negotiation, but the ruling party countered by making preconditions the apology for the unilateral processing and the withdrawal of the reduction proposal, leading to the failure of the negotiations attempted by Speaker Woo Won-shik with the floor leaders before today's plenary session.

[Heo Yeong/Democratic Party Secretary of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts: "It was being spent recklessly without any proof of expenditure. This is why we reduced the special activity expenses to properly secure the National Assembly's budget review authority, which is a rightful command from the people to resolve their suspicions."]

[Ku Ja-keun/People Power Party Secretary of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts: "A historic first in constitutional history is being written again by the Democratic Party. Aren't you ashamed, Democratic Party members? You should be ashamed, right? Why? Isn't it to protect the criminal Lee Jae-myung?"]

Speaker Woo Won-shik urged both parties to reach an agreement by the last day of the regular session on the 10th, but currently, the outlook for a resolution seems uncertain.

KBS News, Lee Yoon-woo.