Song Young-gil (left), chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), pose for photos at a dinner meeting held at a restaurant in Yeouido, western Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
The leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties agreed Monday to give the next round of COVID-19 relief aid to all citizens, not just select groups, their spokespeople said.
Song Young-gil, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), reached the agreement during a meeting over dinner.
"The two leaders appear to have reached a consensus that (the handouts) should be given to the entire nation," Rep. Koh Yong-jin, a senior DP spokesperson, said.
Hwangbo Seung-hee, a senior PPP spokeswoman, added that the two parties are likely to look at ways to give extra aid to small business owners who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
The rival parties will determine when the handouts will be given to people in light of the overall coronavirus situation, they said.
Early this month, the government proposed an extra budget of 33 trillion won (US$28.7 billion) to finance another round of COVID-19 relief aid packages for people in the bottom 80 percent income bracket and small business owners.
Song and Lee agreed at their meeting to quickly launch a consultative body involving the two parties and the government and task their chief policymakers with continuing discussions on the universal relief plan.
South Korea has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days, leading the health authorities to impose a semi-lockdown on the greater Seoul area for two weeks starting Monday. (Yonhap)