Lee to review 20T won budget

[Anchor]

A second supplementary budget of around 20 trillion won will be presented at the Cabinet meeting this Thursday.

President Lee plans to review the supplementary budget as soon as he returns.

The government and ruling party are reportedly considering the scope and targets of the proposed “consumption coupons” intended to support household recovery.

Reporter Oh Dae-seong has the details.

[Report]

The presidential office announced that the second supplementary budget will be presented at the Cabinet meeting on June 19.

The presidential office explained, "President Lee has been working on preparing the budget for public welfare recovery even while attending major events like the G7.”

This indicates that the supplementary budget will be the top priority for the president after his return.

The scale of the second supplementary budget is expected to be at least around 20 trillion won.

The key point is the "consumption coupons" that were excluded from the first supplementary budget.

The Democratic Party insists the coupons should be issued in the form of local currency with expiration dates to encourage immediate spending.

The eligibility for the coupons remains a contentious issue.

The Democratic Party maintains that all citizens should receive the support.

[Han Min-soo/Democratic Party Spokesperson: "The party's stance is that universal support is necessary, and the government seems to be reviewing various economic situations and fiscal conditions."]

However, it is reported that they are considering a plan to distribute to everyone but give less to high-income groups while increasing support for vulnerable groups.

This appears to be influenced by the government's poor financial status and President Lee's directive to focus support on vulnerable groups.

[Kang Yu-jung/Presidential Office Spokesperson/June 9: “President Lee instructed us to move quickly on the supplementary budget and emphasized prioritizing support for vulnerable groups and small businesses.”]

Although excluding the top 10%–20% of high-income earners has been discussed within the government, the presidential office clarified that no final decision has been made.

The Democratic Party, the government, and the presidential office plan to finalize the supplementary budget after consultations in the National Assembly as early as tomorrow (6.17).

This is KBS News, Oh Dae-seong.