Nat'l Assembly passes budget..
Updated : 2025-12-03 13:33:50 KST
Nat'l Assembly passes budget for 2026 before legal deadline
The National Assembly has approved a budget of 498 billion U.S. dollars for 2026. Lawmakers passed the plan just minutes before the legal deadline on Tuesday, putting an end to weeks of tense negotiations. Lee Seung-jae has more. The National Assembly has approved next year's budget, totaling 727-point-9 trillion won, or about 498 billion U.S. dollars. Lawmakers passed the plan just minutes before the legal deadline on Tuesday night, ending weeks of tense negotiations and delivering the first on-time budget in five years.
-------------------
The breakthrough came earlier in the day when the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party reached a last-minute compromise. Both sides agreed to maintain the government's proposed overall spending level, a key demand of the administration, and preserve several of President Lee Jae Myung's signature programs. Those programs include the nationwide local gift certificate initiative, which the opposition had previously argued should be scaled back. Under the final agreement, the parties decided to reduce 2-point-9 billion dollars from a mix of artificial intelligence programs, policy funds, and several other categories.
-------------------
That money will not be cut from the budget entirely. Instead, the same amount will be reallocated to priority areas that both parties agreed require urgent support. Those areas include measures to strengthen the country's disaster recovery system following the massive fire at a state-operated data center earlier this year. The budget will also direct additional funding toward expanding the distributed power grid industry, which the government says will improve energy stability and technological competitiveness. National scholarships will also receive an increase to help families struggling with tuition costs during a period of slow economic recovery.
-------------------
the distributed power grid industry 분산 전력망 산업
------------------
In the end, both sides chose compromise over continued stalemate. By keeping the overall spending level intact while adjusting internal allocations, the parties managed to meet the constitutional deadline for the first time since 2021. Lawmakers from both parties said the agreement was difficult but necessary to prevent funding disruptions for key public services. With the budget now approved, ministries will begin preparing detailed spending plans for 2026. The government says the new budget will prioritize economic support, national defense, and faster recovery from recent disasters, while maintaining stability in state finances. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
-------------------
stalemate 교착 상태
===============
영어 원문 출처 및 동영상 링크;
arirang news/Nat'l/Politics
https://m.arirang.com/news/view?id=290003
