President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday she opposes unconditional tax hikes aimed at raising funds for welfare programs, saying the government should first try to bring the underground economy above ground, curtail unnecessary projects and plug tax leaks. The remark came as the government has struggled to raise money to finance welfare and other expensive projects Park promised during last year\'s election campaign. Those projects are estimated to cost a total of about 135 trillion won (US$121 billion).