Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok said on the 15th regarding the formation of the supplementary budget bill, "We will organize it at 12 trillion won, which is about 2 trillion won more than the initially mentioned size of 10 trillion won."
Deputy Prime Minister Choi noted during the Economic Ministers’ Meeting and the Meeting of Ministers for Strengthening Industrial Competitiveness held at the Government Seoul Building that "the supplementary budget projects will focus on disaster response, enhancing trade and artificial intelligence competitiveness, and supporting people's livelihoods."
Deputy Prime Minister Choi said, "We will invest more than 3 trillion won to protect the lives and properties of citizens from large-scale disasters," adding, "We will reinforce the disaster response budget from the existing approximately 500 billion won to more than double that amount for rapid recovery from wildfire damage."
He stated, "We have reflected about 2 trillion won to introduce advanced equipment and for disaster reserve funds to respond immediately to disasters such as wildfires and summer typhoons," continuing, "We will additionally introduce six medium and large forest helicopters, 30 artificial intelligence surveillance cameras, 45 drones, and 48 multipurpose wildfire extinguishing vehicles to significantly enhance our wildfire prevention and response capabilities."
Deputy Prime Minister Choi also stated, "To respond to rapid changes in the trade environment and enhance the competitiveness of advanced industries, we will invest more than 4 trillion won," adding, "We will provide 25 trillion won in new policy funds such as low-interest loans and export guarantees to ease the financial difficulties of corporations facing tariff damage and export crises."
He added, "We will expand financial support of more than 2 trillion won for infrastructure, finance, and R&D related to advanced industries such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors."
Regarding support for livelihoods, he said, "We will support more than 4 trillion won for small business owners and vulnerable groups," and added, "We will establish a 'burden relief credit' of 500,000 won annually that small business owners can use for public utility payments and insurance premiums."
He stated, "We will also promote the 'coexistence payback project,' which refunds part of the increase in card consumption compared to the previous year with Onnuri gift certificates," and added, "We will expand the supply of policy funds for income stability for low-income youth, college students, and those with low credit ratings to approximately 200 billion won."
Deputy Prime Minister Choi continued, "Timing is crucial for the supplementary budget," and said, "I earnestly request the bipartisan cooperation and prompt processing of the National Assembly to ensure that the supplementary budget plan passes as quickly as possible."