The 2025 budget bill has sparked significant controversy both within and outside political circles after being passed by the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts through a unilateral vote by the Democratic Party. It has been revealed that while special activity funds and specific operational expenses for powerful institutions such as the prosecution, the police, and the Office of the President were cut in full, the National Assembly’s operating budget was maintained. This marks the first time in the nation’s constitutional history that the opposition party has passed a budget bill on its own.
Reasons for the Full Cut to Special Activity Funds for the Prosecution and Police
The Democratic Party stated that the decision to cut the entire budget for the prosecution and police’s special activity funds and specific business expenses was made because the details of how those funds were used had not been sufficiently accounted for. Democratic Party Representative Jang Gyeong-tae explained, “We cut the entire 8.009 billion won in special activity funds and 50.691 billion won in specific duty expenses for the prosecution in accordance with the committee’s policy of not allocating funds unless detailed expenditure records are verified.” He emphasized that this decision stemmed from the principle that budgets funded by taxpayers’ money must be used transparently.
Special activity funds are generally allocated for activities requiring confidentiality during investigations; they are primarily used for sensitive investigative operations—such as undercover work, surveillance, and intelligence gathering—as well as for payments to external informants. In contrast, specific operational expenses are used to support specific administrative tasks within the prosecution and police forces and include items such as travel expenses and meeting costs, for which relatively specific expenditure details can be tracked. However, the Democratic Party stated that this cut was a measure taken to respond to public demands for transparency and accountability regarding both budgets.
Criticism of the National Assembly's Operating Expenses
Meanwhile, controversy over fairness has arisen after it was revealed that while the operating budgets for powerful institutions such as the prosecution, the police, and the Office of the President were cut in full, the National Assembly’s special activity funds were maintained. Special activity funds have long been a source of persistent allegations of misuse, as it is often difficult to disclose details of their use. Consequently, critics argue that maintaining the National Assembly’s special activity funds while completely cutting those of powerful institutions amounts to a double standard.
The People Power Party strongly protested, arguing, “The Democratic Party’s decision to cut the prosecution’s budget in its entirety appears to be a retaliatory measure aimed at curbing investigative agencies in connection with the recent trial of Party Leader Lee Jae-myung.” It also condemned the opposition party’s unilateral passage of the budget bill as “an unprecedented act of tyranny in the history of the constitution.”
Budget Cuts: The Dilemma of Fairness and Transparency
Although the Democratic Party’s measures are justified on the grounds of ensuring that taxpayer money is not spent in a non-transparent manner, suspicions have been raised that political motives are at play. While the budgets of public institutions funded by taxpayer money must be managed transparently, special activity funds for law enforcement agencies such as the prosecution and police may be essential for investigative activities that require confidentiality. Therefore, the decision to cut the entire budget simply on the grounds that the expenditure details have not been verified could potentially hinder investigative activities.
Given that this budget bill was passed solely by the opposition party, it will serve as an opportunity to reflect once again on the National Assembly’s functions and accountability. Issues such as the fairness of cutting operating budgets for the prosecution and police while maintaining those for the National Assembly, as well as the balance between transparency and fairness in budget spending, are expected to remain at the center of political debate going forward.
Baek Seon-wook, Citizen Reporter
