Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum hinted Monday at the possibility of increasing a proposed extra budget designed to help support pandemic-hit small merchants following calls from ruling and opposition parties.

"The government does empathize with views that direct support for these people needs to be increased," Kim told lawmakers during a parliamentary budget committee meeting. "Now is the time for the National Assembly and the government to open up candidly to each other and put the people ahead of anything else to resolve this issue."

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and political parties have been at odds over the supplementary budget.

Hong earlier said the government's 14 trillion won ($11.6 billion) extra budget should be respected and he will not "agree easily" to the parties' call to expand the amount.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) proposed a 35 trillion won extra budget with issuance of government bonds, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called for a 50 trillion won supplementary budget with expenditure adjustments.

Under the law, the Assembly cannot increase the amount of extra budget without the government's consent.

The DP hopes the extra budget bill will be passed before Feb. 15, the opening of the official campaign period for the March 9 presidential election. The PPP said it can be approved before that date if the ruling party accepts its proposal. (Yonhap)