In his speech at the National Assembly, the first of its kind by an acting president in about 46 years, Han urged lawmakers to swiftly pass the 12.2 trillion won (US$8.8 billion) supplementary budget.
He stressed the fast approval of the budget is "important" to weather through a crisis as the country "faces major challenges both domestically and externally amid uncertainties caused by the U.S. sweeping tariff policy."
The budget will be allocated for disaster relief efforts after massive wildfires ripped through the southeastern region last month, while strengthening trade through investment in key business areas such as artificial intelligence (AI).
His speech came amid growing speculation that he may soon announce a presidential bid, just several days after he told the British daily Financial Times in a recent interview that he had "not yet" decided whether to run in the upcoming snap election in June.
But Han declined to comment on his possible presidential ambitions when asked by reporters after the address.
reporter
Im Yoon-seo
lyseo0330@ajupress.com
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