The Cabinet has approved a 14 trillion won extra budget plan aimed at supporting small merchants hit by the pandemic.
The proposal passed Friday in an extraordinary Cabinet session and is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly next Monday for final approval.
The request includes an additional 3 million won in relief payments for 3.2 million merchants following the extension of the government's antivirus restrictions, including a cap on the size of private gatherings and business curfews.
Both the ruling Democratic Party and main opposition People Power Party have called for increasing the amount despite criticism the aid payments could be seen as an act of vote-buying ahead of the March 9 presidential election.
