Hong Nam-ki "Disaster Basic Income Considered, but Agreement Difficult"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, expressed a negative stance on the basic disaster income proposed by some ruling party members on the 10th, stating, "We have reviewed it, but there are several issues."

Deputy Prime Minister Hong made these remarks during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee, responding to Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung's suggestion to increase direct support related to measures against the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

He said, "There are opinions from some quarters advocating for the provision of basic disaster income. We have also reviewed it, but along with its advantages, there are various problems," adding, "It is difficult to agree easily."

The basic disaster income became a public issue after Lee Jae-woong, CEO of Socar, posted a petition on the Blue House's National Petition Board on the 1st, urging the government to provide basic disaster income to citizens. Subsequently, Democratic Party local government heads such as Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, and Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, agreed with the proposal, making it a political issue.

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