The National Assembly's plenary session to pass next year’s budget bill has been postponed to 9 p.m.
 
After delaying the session from its original 2 p.m. schedule on Saturday, the rival parties’ floor leaders are making a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement.
 
Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun is also taking part in the negotiations currently under way.
 
Ruling Democratic Party Floor Leader Woo Won-shik sent out a text message to party lawmakers saying the Assembly plenary had been postponed due to bipartisan negotiations on the budget bill. He asked party members to be on standby near the parliament and wait for further notice.
 
Saturday is the legal deadline to pass the government's 2018 budget proposal. 
 
Ruling and opposition parties resumed negotiations in the morning and worked to strike a deal on key sticking points, including the government push to increase the number of public employees. They are known to be seeking some points of compromise.
 
If they fail to reach an agreement by the end of the day, it will mark the first time a budget bill failed to pass within the legal deadline since the National Assembly Advancement Act entered into force in 2012.