The budget row in the parliament deepened Wednesday with the ruling Saenuri Party warning that it would push the budget through unilaterally if the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy refused to cooperate.

Accusing the opposition party of repeatedly holding the budget hostage for political gain, Saenuri Party deputy floor leader Rep. Kim Jae-won warned that the party would process the budget unilaterally if the main opposition did not cooperate in completing the budget review by the legal deadline.

“(The Saenuri Party) will draw up a motion based on the parts that have been reviewed by Nov. 30 and put it up to a vote along with the government’s original budget on Dec. 2,” Kim said.

“(The party) has no intention to give way in the budget review process, nor to negotiate with the opposition party to extend the deadline. If (the party) steps back, then the National Assembly advancement act will be incapacitated and constitutional order will once again be lost.”

The so-called National Assembly advancement act is a collection of revisions to the National Assembly Act aimed at facilitating smooth operations of the parliament. Under the revised act, the state budget will automatically be put to the vote in the form drawn up by the government if the parties do not complete the review and agree on modifications by Nov. 30.

“(The Saenuri Party) will face unmanageable resistance from the people if the party rushes through perfunctory bills and the budget, and we will not overlook it,” NPAD floor leader Rep. Woo Yoon-keun said.

The ruling party is raising the pressure, but the two parties seeing eye-to-eye on the child care budget appears a remote possibility.

Funding for the state-run child care program has been the sticking point in this year’s budget review. As such, most parliamentary committees have now completed the reviews with the exception of the Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

The parties’ deputy floor leaders and chief negotiators on the education committee have failed to narrow their differences on the issue.

“We are demanding a net increase of 560 billion won ($506.5 million) for the Nuri Curriculum. The Saenuri Party says that local government bonds should be issued, so common ground could not be found,” said Rep. Ahn Gyu-baek, NPAD deputy floor leader.

The Nuri Curriculum refers to the state-funded child care program for those aged 3-5.

The ruling party holds that local education offices should fund the program, while the NPAD demands the funding should be included in the central government’s 2015 budget.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)