Prime minister Han Duck-soo has voiced opposition to calls for expanding heating bill support.

During a parliamentary interpellation session on Tuesday, Han said the country's fiscal policies should not be evaluated in a negative light at home and abroad.

When main opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo demanded Han's apology for the public's suffering from inflation, the PM said that populist policies that oppress a rise in utility fees cannot be a solution.

His remark is seen as criticizing the previous administration for failing to raise utility fees in a timely manner

On the issue of providing support for heating bills, Han said the focus should first be on vulnerable people.

He also rejected calls to collect so-called a windfall tax from oil refineries by saying that local firms who rely mainly on refining margins to make profits are different from their overseas counterparts. Han stressed that a very careful approach is necessary and that such measures are not ideal for Korea.