[Graphic News] Government-proposed 2017 budget surpasses 400 trillion won

The 2017 budget proposed by the government has surpassed 400 trillion won ($358 billion) for the first time.

Officials said the government increased the budget by 3.7 percent to spend more on job creation, welfare benefits, education and defense.

As a result, a large portion of the spending was allocated to the health, welfare and labor sectors, with about 130 trillion won set aside for these areas.

In particular, 17.5 trillion won was earmarked for job creation projects. The requested budget for education was increased by 6.1 percent to reach 56.4 trillion won, while that for national defense was raised by 4 percent to reach 40.3 trillion won.

As for culture, sports and tourism, the government will spend 7.1 trillion won, up 6.9 percent, as part of efforts to prepare for the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.