The National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Committee holds its first plenary session of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly on Thursday. People Power Party members boycotted the session in protest over the committee composition. [Yonhap]
The National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Committee holds its first plenary session of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly on Thursday. People Power Party members boycotted the session in protest over the committee composition. [Yonhap]

Rep. Jung Tae-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Seoul's Gwanak-gu and sits on the Finance and Economy Planning Committee, was named Thursday as the whip of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

The budget committee held a plenary session that morning and voted to appoint the whip. Jung served as whip of the Finance and Economy Planning Committee during the first half of the current Assembly session, leading legislation and policy in taxation, fiscal affairs and economic policy.

Political circles said the appointment reflects recognition of his expertise and policy capabilities in fiscal and budgetary affairs.

The budget committee whip is one of the National Assembly's most pivotal posts, working alongside the committee chair on behalf of each negotiating bloc to oversee the full range of committee operations — including the review of government budget bills and supplementary budgets and the adjustment of spending levels. The whip plays a central role in resolving key disputes over individual projects and budget sizes during the review process, and in setting the direction of national fiscal management.

"A budget is policy expressed in numbers," Jung said. "This year marks a historic turning point that will shape South Korea's future for the next 20 to 30 years, so I will work diligently to put together a livelihood budget that supports the people and build a solid fiscal foundation to back future growth engines."

He added that he would "support the state agenda of the Lee Jae-myung administration while also carefully securing the budget needed for long-pending projects in Seoul's Gwanak-gu and for improving residents' daily lives."


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