A confrontation has been intensifying between the ruling party and opposition parties over next year's budget to create new government jobs, one of the key elements of President Moon Jae-in's pledge to create jobs.

Unveiling a five-year plan to create jobs, the government has detailed its intention to hire 174,000 personnel in public security, welfare and education by 2022.

The government requested a budget of about 400 billion won ($357 million) to recruit 4,000 public officials next year. 

Choo Kyung-ho, a lawmaker of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (Yonhap)
Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party cited a report from the National Assembly's budget office that claimed the government will likely spend 327 trillion won over the next 30 years if it hires about 170,000 low-level public officials by 2022.

During a meeting of the parliamentary budget committee this week, Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon stopped short of providing estimated costs for the new government jobs over the next 30 years.

However, Kim said the cost of personnel could be around 8 percent of the government's total spending in 2022.

Of the 174,000 jobs, the central government will hire 105,000 people, and provincial and city governments will hire 73,500 people in such fields as police, firefighting and child care services.

The number of police and firefighters will each be increased by 20,000, according to the plan.

Another 39,000 government jobs will be created in the fields of elderly care and education for people with physical and mental disabilities. (Yonhap)