Han Jeoung-ae, chair of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, said Wednesday that "the government's bold response is serving as a steadfast guardian of people's livelihoods" amid the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East.
Speaking at the party's policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly, Han said, "The government's oil price ceiling system helped lower consumer prices by up to 0.8 percentage points last month, easing the burden on the public." She added, "Specifically, as of the fourth week of March, gasoline prices fell by 460 won per liter, diesel by 916 won, and indoor kerosene by 552 won, demonstrating the effectiveness of government policy in concrete figures." She also noted, "Exports through April 20 reached nearly $50.4 billion, marking the highest April performance on record," praising the government's capabilities as "a demonstration of Korea's economic resilience amid crisis."
Regarding joint response measures by the Democratic Party, the government, and the presidential office, Han said, "More than 50 days have passed since the outbreak of the Middle East war, but unpredictable turmoil continues." She explained that the parties agreed to "fundamentally review and strengthen support to prevent blind spots in people's livelihoods and industrial sites through stable supply and demand and supply chain management for oil, naphtha, and petrochemical products; stronger crackdowns and on-site inspections against market disruptions such as hoarding and cornering of syringes and urea solution; real economy support including discounted supply fees for vehicles participating in the five-day rotation system; and relief for vulnerable groups and livelihood safety support."
Han also emphasized her commitment to the swift execution of the supplementary budget. "The supplementary budget will be executed in earnest starting on the 27th," she said. "High oil price damage support payments will be distributed to basic livelihood recipients and single-parent families starting on the 27th, while the remaining 70% of the public will receive payments starting May 17." She added, "As the government has pledged to ensure swift execution, I ask for all-out efforts so that warmth can reach every corner of the livelihood sites suffering from high oil prices."
Meanwhile, regarding the June 3 local elections, which are just over 40 days away, Han stressed, "This is an election that evaluates the first year of the Lee Jae-myung administration and also an election that will provide growth momentum for the remaining four years." She emphasized, "The central and local governments will form one team to strongly push forward the policy tasks proposed by the Democratic Party."
