DP passes budget proposal with only cuts

[Anchor]

An unprecedented event has occurred regarding next year's government budget.

The Democratic Party has passed a budget proposal that includes only cuts, with no increases, through the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

Both the ruling and opposition parties are blaming each other.

Reporter Min Jeong-hee has the details.

[Report]

The Democratic Party has, for the first time in history, processed a budget proposal that reflects only cuts through the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

The deadline for the committee's activities is tomorrow (11.30), and if an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties is not reached by the deadline, the government's original proposal will automatically be submitted to the plenary session, which is why they processed a proposal that only reflects cuts, which doesn't require the government's consent.

The passed budget proposal is 673.3 trillion won, which is 4.1 trillion won less than the government's proposal.

Cuts were made to the special activity expenses of the Presidential Office and the National Security Office, as well as specific operational expenses and special activity funds of the prosecution and the Board of Audit and Inspection.

[Kim Tae-seon/Member of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts/Democratic Party: "The prosecution, the Board of Audit and Inspection, and the Presidential Office do not provide explanations. How can the National Assembly handle a budget that the public does not know how it is being used?"]

[Kwak Kyu-taek/Member of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts/People Power Party: "Is this really satisfying to you, to cut specific operational expenses and special activity funds for the sake of venting Lee Jae-myung's frustrations?"]

Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok expressed concerns that the essential functions of the state could be paralyzed.

[Choi Sang-mok/Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance: "The damage will ultimately fall on our citizens. It is unfortunate and very regrettable."]

As the Democratic Party aims to process the budget in the plenary session on Dec. 2, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik is contemplating whether to present a budget proposal that has not been agreed upon.

With last-minute negotiations expected between the ruling and opposition parties, there are concerns that again this year's budget processing will exceed the legal deadline.

This is KBS News, Min Jeong-hee.