[Anchor]
President Lee Jae-myung attended an ecumenical Easter service today (April 5).
He pledged to devote every effort to preventing the fallout from the Middle East war from escalating into a broader national crisis.
Meanwhile, Hong Ik-pyo, the Blue House senior secretary for political affairs, signaled the possibility of an additional supplementary budget in the second half of the year.
Reporter So Jae-hyung reporting.
[Reporter]
At the Easter service, President Lee said the recent war in the Middle East has shaken the global economy, and that South Korea’s recovery is being affected directly.
President Lee: Above all, I will spare no effort to help the nation overcome the crisis caused by the Middle East war.
The conflict has unsettled our recovering economy and industries, and its effects are falling most heavily on vulnerable populations.
To address the crisis, the president stressed that uniting the public’s resolve is essential and said he would employ every available policy tool.
President Lee: We will use every available policy measure with extraordinary resolve so this crisis does not spiral into a larger one, and so that those already facing hardship do not see their lives deteriorate further.
He also urged people to reflect on the meaning of resurrection alongside the values of peace and love at a time like this.
At the same time, the president moved to correct misunderstandings surrounding the supplementary budget needed to tackle the crisis.
He shared an article claiming that the high oil-price relief fund would burden local governments and countered that the program has actually eased local fiscal pressure.
The president said we provided local governments with 9.7 trillion KRW (about $7.28 billion) to bolster their fiscal capacity, and that local governments’ project contributions amount to 1.3 trillion KRW (about $975 million), meaning their net fiscal capacity rose by 8.4 trillion KRW (about $6.30 billion).
Meanwhile, Hong Ik-pyo appeared on MBN, saying that even after a ceasefire it would take at least three to four months to normalize supply chains, and warning that if the Middle East crisis drags on, an additional supplementary budget in the second half of the year could be necessary.
On the prospect of dispatching troops to the Middle East, he said any country would face significant diplomatic burdens, and that international law places strict limits on what support we can provide.
This is So Jae-hyung from Yonhap News TV.
Video reporting: Il-hwan Lee, Je-hwan Yoon, Chang-hoon Jung
Video editing: Tae-im Kang
For Yonhap News TV inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23
So Jae-hyung (sojay@yna.co.kr)
