Lee Nak-yeon: "COVID-19 Response Will Reveal Which Countries Did Well or Poorly"

Lee Nak-yeon, the election committee chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Hae-chan, the party leader, are attending the election strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 6th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kang Nahum and Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Nak-yeon, co-chairman of the Democratic Party's joint standing election countermeasures committee, said on the 6th, "It will soon become clear which countries responded well to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and which did not." This remark is interpreted as being conscious of criticism regarding the government's COVID-19 response.

At the Democratic Party's Future Preparation Election Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Chairman Lee said, "COVID-19 has already spread to more than 80 countries worldwide."

He continued, "We are maintaining an extraordinary posture toward containing domestic spread and early stabilization. Many citizens are pooling their strength in their own ways," adding, "Thus, we are crossing this river of hardship."

He also appealed, "I urge the citizens to cooperate even more," emphasizing, "We must overcome this, and we will overcome it."

Regarding the issue of some retailers hoarding masks, Chairman Lee said, "It is believed that there may still be places hiding masks," and added, "I think it is necessary to consider measures that exempt such places from penalties if they release masks within a certain period."

Chairman Lee also urged the swift passage of the supplementary budget (supplementary budget) allocated for COVID-19 response. Notably, this supplementary budget includes a plan to directly support about 5.8 million citizens with approximately 2.6 trillion won in local love gift certificates and cash.

He said, "This supplementary budget is the first limited implementation of the disaster basic income system, which has been discussed domestically and internationally," and added, "I repeatedly urge the National Assembly to process the supplementary budget as quickly as possible so that such ambitious policies can achieve their intended results."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.