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| Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young, second from left, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. The PPP said it would push ahead with budgeting 3.6 trillion won ($32.4 billion) to provide as relief funds next year for households with children for emergency childcare and small business owners facing economic crisis due to COVID-19. Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
Talks have begun on introducing the third round of emergency disaster relief handouts, after the health authorities said the third wave of coronavirus outbreaks is already in progress with a resurgence in the number of daily new COVID-19 cases nationwide.
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was quick to bring the issue of adopting the third such round of funding, especially to help people hit hard due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, including small business owners. But the government is taking a prudent stance, considering the financial pressure on the state coffer.
While the National Assembly is reviewing next year's budget for a scheduled passage in early December, the PPP's policy committee said Tuesday that the party would seek to budget 3.6 trillion won ($32.4 billion) for emergency handouts next year, especially for households requiring childcare support and small business owners facing economic crisis. The party's plan also includes allocating 1 trillion won for securing COVID-19 vaccines and building five more hospitals specializing in infectious diseases.
"We will make sure that about 3.6 trillion won of the disaster relief fund will be provided in a timely manner for those in need, including business owners hit directly by the economic fallout due to the third wave of COVID-19 such as taxis, indoor gyms, academies and PC cafes, and households facing economic crisis," Rep. Lee Jong-bae, chair of the PPP's policy committee, said during a party meeting at the Assembly.
In the first round of funding in May, the government provided up to 1 million won ($900) to about 21.7 million households regardless of income level, with a 12.2 trillion won extra budget. In September, 3.8 trillion won was used to provide "tailored" support for those hit hard due to the virus outbreak, including small business owners, the self-employed and freelancers.
Some ruling bloc figures also agree on the need for it, including Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung who said allocating disaster relief funds in next year's budget will help the nation avoid the administrative inefficiency of setting up an extra budget again sometime next year for such relief funding.
Lee also called for universal payment of another round of relief funds. He had earlier criticized the government's selective payment in the second round of funding in September, saying such a selective support could bring social division. "The third disaster subsidies must be provided to all people of the country in the form of local currency, a method which has proven its economic effectiveness," Lee tweeted, Friday.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Cheong Wa Dae, however, have remained cautious on the matter, saying the Assembly and the government should focus on reviewing and passing the current budget plan for next year, which does not entail another round of disaster relief.
Rep. Kim Young-jin of the DPK said in a radio interview, Tuesday, "We generally agree that another disaster relief fund may be needed to overcome economic crisis. But it is unrealistic to make a conclusion on the matter now and include the fund in next year's budget bill within a week."
