President Moon Jae-in has hinted that the nation may need an additional supplementary budget to ride out the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The president gave the indication on Monday while chairing a meeting with the heads of Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon at Seoul City Hall to discuss the response to the outbreak. 

According to presidential spokesperson Kang Min-seok, President Moon said that the government's coronavirus measures may not end with just one extra budget, and the nation may need a second and third measure if the outbreak lasts long.  

The government proposed an eleven-point-seven trillion won emergency supplementary budget early this month to cope with the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The meeting also discussed the idea of the government providing basic income for low-income people facing difficulties from the virus outbreak, but did not draw any conclusion. 

At the closing of the meeting, President Moon stressed the need to further strengthen quarantine efforts in Seoul and the wider capital zone, calling for closer cooperation among municipalities.