Korea's main opposite party boycotts Pres Yoon's budget speech

[Photo by Han Ju-hyung]

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party (DB) boycotted President Yoon Suk-yeol’s budget speech on Tuesday in protest of the government’s suppressive move against the opposition. It was the first time South Korean president’s speech at the National Assembly has been boycotted by lawmakers since the country’s parliament history. In an absence of DP lawmakers, President Yoon stressed in his budget speech that his government pursues welfare policy for the socially vulnerable people while seeking financial soundness “as it is the basic responsibility of a country to protect them when the economy is in hardship.” Yoon also asked for cooperation from lawmakers for next year’s spending of 639 trillion won ($443.7 billion), the first on-year shrink since 2010.

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