Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki has called for quick relief aid to help recovery efforts as days of heavy monsoon rains have left a trail of devastation across the country.
Hong instructed officials on Monday to act swiftly in tapping the reserve fund worth 2 trillion won, in addition to the existing budget, to assist to those affected by heavy downpours that triggered flooding and landslides across the central and southern regions.
At least 42 people are dead or missing and thousands displaced from their homes.
The ruling Democratic Party said it will hold a consultative meeting with the government on Wednesday to discuss whether to draw up a fourth extra budget to cope with the damage.
A ruling party official said if another supplementary budget is drawn up, it will likely be worth less than 3 trillion won, considering the three prior extra budgets that were passed to mitigate the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
