South Korea's three main parties are taking turns addressing lawmakers at the National Assembly.
Stepping up to the podium on Wednesday,.... was Kim Sung-tae of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.
The floor leader lashed out at the government and the ruling party.
Kim Min-ji reports.
On the brink of crisis.
That's how Kim Sung-tae,... the floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party,... assessed the country's economic situation -- claiming that the government's policies are causing growth to retreat.
He said the government's minimum wage hike and its drive for shorter working hours have slammed low-income households, young job seekers and small business owners -- rather than boosting their incomes and spurring consumption as promised.
Kim also pointed out that all the policies the government is pursuing come with a hefty price tag for taxpayers.
"The government's income-driven growth policies are like voice phishing aimed at enticing the people. They may be a sweet to hear,... but at the end of the day they will lead to collapse. The Moon Jae-in government is driving struggling people into greater despair."
His comments come as recent economic data show sluggish job growth and a slowing economy.
The floor leader called on the government to admit its policies have failed,... and demanded that it shift its policy direction.
He said what the government should be doing is allocating a bigger budget for raising the country's chronically low birth rate... by providing more incentives and greater financial support for child rearing.
On North Korea, Kim said now is not the right time to ratify the inter-Korean summit declaration reached in April -- because it's too early to determine whether Pyongyang is fully committed to denuclearization.
And he said that Seoul should address the issue with a cool head,... not emotionally... especially with a third inter-Korean summit slated to take place sometime this month.
"It should be made clear that the original purpose of inter-Korean talks is North Korea's denuclearization. What's urgent is ridding Pyongyang of its nuclear arsenal though international coordination, not declaring an end to the Korean War."
He also openly criticized the National Assembly Speaker -- who has been calling for the ratification of the summit declaration -- saying that it seemed as though he were the mouthpiece of the Blue House.
The main opposition party had raised an issue saying the speaker wasn't keeping his political neutrality.
Kim said that even if the Speaker has his roots in the ruling party,... he should be independent from the presidential office... and do his best to keep the government in check -- to which the Speaker responded that he will absolutely not be swayed by the top office.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.
