On August 24, the National Assembly engaged in a comprehensive review of the 2025 fiscal year budget, sparking a debate over the Blue House's special activity funds. Kang Hoon-sik, head of the Presidential Secretariat, stated that it is "difficult to transparently disclose" the details of these funds. The People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party for previously demanding the disclosure of special activity fund details while in opposition, asserting that the current administration's responses remain evasive.
The Budget and Settlement Committee held a full meeting to conduct a policy inquiry. In response to a query from People Power Party lawmaker Im I-ja, who pointed out the lack of documentation regarding the execution of special activity funds, Kang remarked, "This information is already available on the Blue House website. You can refer to that material."
The People Power Party is currently demanding the submission of special activity fund details from the Presidential Office, the National Security Office, and three special investigation teams. Kang added, "The principles of finance are openness and transparency. I believe that all finances should be transparently disclosed according to those standards," but reiterated that it is challenging to provide transparency regarding special activity funds. When asked if expenses for President Lee's personal golf meetings were covered by these funds, he stated, "That is a personal schedule of the president, and it is not something I can comment on."
In response, Im criticized, "Whether in the ruling or opposition party, the Blue House always responds with evasion regardless of the change in administration. This has not changed," suggesting that this practice needs to be addressed.
Previously, the People Power Party indicated that it would verify the appropriateness of the current administration's fiscal expansion policies during the review of the 2025 fiscal year budget. They also plan to focus on scrutinizing the details of special activity fund usage and the budget related to the Blue House's relocation. A key issue is the verification of the appropriateness of the fiscal expansion policy, which increased the original budget from 673.3 trillion won to 703.3 trillion won through two supplementary budgets, raising national debt from 1,273.3 trillion won to 1,301.9 trillion won.
As a result, the opposition has announced plans to scrutinize the overall fiscal expansion policy from last year, heightening tensions between the ruling and opposition parties ahead of the upcoming budget review for the next year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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