Parliament speaker vows to quit if 2010 budget fails to pass

(ATTN: UPDATES with details and comments from 4th para)
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o said Sunday he
will step down unless the ruling and opposition parties pass a bill on next
year's budget within this year.
The passage of the 2010 budget has been stalled as the ruling Grand National
Party and the main opposition Democratic Party have been wrangling over whether
to implement a project to develop the country's four rivers.
The project proposed by President Lee Myung-bak calls for the government to spend
3.5 trillion won (US$2.9 billion) by 2012 to develop the Han, Nakdong, Geum and
Yeongsan rivers in order to prevent floods and cope with water shortages.
"The budget bill should be passed within this year by all means," Kim said in a
statement. "If ruling and opposition parties fail to pass the national budget,
the National Assembly Speaker, party leaders and parliamentary representatives
(should) offer to resign to take responsibility for the budget bill."
His remarks came as the crucial budget passage has been hold for weeks with less
than one week left in the year due to the controversial river project that
accounts for just 1.2 percent of next year's spending plan.
"Considering the nation's economic recovery and security concerns, we have to
prevent setting another provisional budget. Both ruling and opposition party
leaders should put cooperative efforts to reach a compromise on the bill at any
cost," Kim said.
Regarding controversy over a cross-country canal project, Kim also proposed that
party leaders adopt a joint declaration making clear that the four river project
will never be developed into the canal project.
The inland canal project was one of the President Lee's election campaign pledges
aimed at creating jobs and improving logistics, but Lee announced that he would
give up the plan earlier this year amid strong opposition from critics.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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