The National Assembly has passed this year's second extra budget mainly aimed at compensating small merchants hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill passed in a vote of 246 to one with five abstentions in a plenary session of 252 members on Sunday night.

The passage came after rival parties agreed to increase the amount of the budget to 39 trillion, from the government's initial proposal of 36-point-four trillion won.

The agreement would adjust the ceiling for annual sales eligible for the compensation to five billion won from three billion won, providing cash relief between six million and ten million won to each of some three-point-71 million small merchants and micro businesses owners.

As for legal compensations for losses, the parties agreed to expand the eligibility to include medium-sized businesses with sales of up to three billion won, raising the minimum payment from 500-thousand won to one million won.

They also agreed to provide two million won to freelance workers and artists, up from one million won in the proposed budget.

Including 23 trillion won in grants to regional governments, the total amount of the extra budget reaches 62 trillion, the largest ever for any supplementary budget.