President Lee Jae-myung on Thursday thanked officials at the Ministry of Planning and Budget who rapidly assembled the supplementary budget, saying, "I will make sure to reward you for the nosebleeds you shed."
Lee posted on X (formerly Twitter), writing, "Public servants, you truly worked so hard."
"Because the situation was so urgent, I pushed you unreasonably to put together the supplementary budget plan ahead of schedule, but you did a splendid job even to the point of getting nosebleeds," he said.
"If there is anything you need, please let me know through Minister Park Hong-keun," he added. "I am sorry, grateful, and I love you."
Earlier, after Lee emphasized the need for a swift supplementary budget response, Vice Minister Im Ki-geun, acting head of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, had said, "All I can say right now is that we are giving up our holidays and will identify projects even on weekends to submit the budget as quickly as possible."