The main opposition party declared a boycott of all parliamentary proceedings Wednesday as it accused the ruling party of backtracking on their agreement to fund free child care programs partly from state coffers.
   
On Tuesday, the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) agreed to draw up next year's government budget in a way that reflects the government's responsibility to pay part of the cost of free child care services for children between the ages of three and five.
   
The agreement was a compromise between the ruling party, which had insisted on having local education offices pay for the project, and the opposition party, which had demanded the government shoulder the cost.
   
However, the rival parties clashed over the exact amount of government funding as NPAD demanded 523 billion won (US$472 million) while the Saenuri Party offered some 200 billion won.
   
"The Saenuri Party's repeated reversals of our agreements are in complete violation of the standing committee-centered system and the committees' discretionary powers," Rep. Seo Young-kyo, NPAD's floor spokeswoman, said during a briefing. "It's hard to continue reviewing next year's budget together like this."
   
Last week, the opposition party accused the ruling party of backtracking on an agreement to fund the child care program with government funds due to pressure from the presidential office.
   
By law, the National Assembly must pass next year's budget bill by Dec. 2, a deadline the ruling party has vowed to meet at all costs.
  
The Assembly is notorious for its end-of-year tug-of-war between parties seeking to amend the government's budget plan in their favor. The government narrowly avoided drawing up a tentative budget this year as the parliament approved the budget bill on Jan. 1.
 
"We will go by the law," Rep. Lee One-koo, the ruling party's floor leader, told reporters. "Following procedure, once all 16 standing committees make cuts or additions (to next year's budget) and hand over (the bill) to the budget and accounts committee, the budget committee will make a decision."
   
Asked whether he has plans to discuss the issue with his NPAD counterpart, Woo Yoon-keun, Lee said he is always open to a meeting but has yet to be asked. (Yonhap)