President Lee Calls for Expanding Holiday Discount Budget, Suggests Using Future Response Fund

President Lee Jae-myung stated that the budget for discount subsidies on agricultural, livestock, and fishery products during traditional holidays should be significantly expanded, suggesting that the Future Response Fund could be considered as a funding source.

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said, "Didn't we increase the discount support budget, which was originally around 100 billion won, to 190 billion won for this Chuseok?" adding, "How about significantly expanding this further to allocate close to 1 trillion won?"

He further added, "(The budget) can be drawn from the Future Response Fund. This will also help alleviate polarization."

However, concerns have been raised in some quarters that the Future Response Fund could end up being used as a "piggy bank" outside of its designated purpose.

Regarding the matter, Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung explained during a press briefing, "About 190 billion won was spent this year to manage holiday consumer prices," adding, "Please understand his remarks not as being strictly confined to a specific budget item like the Future Response Fund, but as an instruction to explore diverse approaches to easing polarization."

(Photo: Cheong Wa Dae Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.