The Democratic Party often seems to have no shame. They flip their words and actions overnight without hesitation. Their double standards are nothing new, but the party’s sudden reversal on the presidential office’s special activity expenses clearly shows their lack of integrity and conscience.
Last November, when President Lee Jae-myung was party leader, the Democratic Party cut the entire 8.2 billion won special activity expenses budget for the presidential office during a National Assembly budget committee meeting, calling it “a waste of money.” Now in power, Lee has completely reversed his position and insists the funding is necessary. The party announced that the supplementary budget would restore these expenses, just seven months after eliminating them entirely.
According to budget subcommittee documents, Democratic lawmaker Jo Seoung-lae said the funds cover activities closely linked to national security and require strict confidentiality. He called for an increase to ensure smooth government operations. While no exact amount was mentioned, other party members agreed. What was once dismissed as unnecessary is now considered essential, with the budget likely to return at tens of billions of won.
Under Article 44 of the National Finance Act, special activity expenses fund certain government operations. This includes condolence money, rewards, and farewell payments given by the president, as well as secret security activities carried out by the National Security Office. The funds are meant to support sensitive or overlooked areas of government work. Yet the Democratic Party cut the entire budget.
When the People Power Party raised objections at the time, President Lee dismissed them, saying it was absurd to claim the government could not operate without these funds. Former Democratic floor leader Park Chan-dae also said cutting the expenses would not paralyze the government. At the same time, the party left untouched the National Assembly’s own 980 million won in special activity expenses and 18.5 billion won in discretionary funds. The party now says the presidential office can use the funds if it provides justification and follows transparent procedures. But they say nothing about why they cut the funds before.
Special activity expenses are necessary regardless of who is in power. The Democratic Party knew this but cut the budget entirely for political reasons. If they now want to use those funds, they should start by apologizing. That is the least they can do to show responsibility.