Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki rejected the ruling Democratic Party’s(DP) call for the government to expand its upcoming COVID-19 relief program to include universal payouts.

Hong rejected the idea on Tuesday, when asked by minor Justice Party Rep. Jang Hye-young during a parliamentary committee meeting.

When DP Rep. Woo Won-shik said the government must follow politics, Hong refuted, saying fiscal management is not something that should be politically determined.

Amid tightened social distancing due to the virus' resurgence, the minister pledged to consult with parliament on a possible budget increase to compensate small business owners as previously planned.

Meanwhile, the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) denied that party leader Lee Jun-seok agreed on universal payments during a meeting with his DP counterpart Song Young-gil the previous day.

PPP floor leader Kim Gi-hyeon said his party plans to review the extra budget to finance the program in keeping with the initial plan to limit the payouts to the lower 80-percent income bracket.