The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said Friday that government offices submitted their preliminary budget requests for 2017, which totaled 398-point-one trillion won.
 
Compared to this year, budget requests for next year increased in seven sectors, including welfare, education and culture, while those for five areas like social overhead capital dropped.
 
The ministry said that the total requested budget is up three percent from this year’s some 387 trillion won, the lowest rate of growth since 2005.
 
It explained that requests for raising budgets have been steadily falling as a result of the government’s continued efforts to complete fiscal reforms.
 
The government will finalize and send its budget proposal to the National Assembly by September second.