Lee Jae-myung: "Mr. President, I support you. Please make the Disaster Basic Income a reality"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed his strong support and encouragement to President Moon Jae-in to realize the introduction of 'disaster basic income.'

Earlier, countries around the world suffering economic damage from the spread of the 'novel coronavirus infection' (COVID-19), including the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, and Europe, have been rushing to consider the introduction of disaster basic income.

On the 19th, Lee posted on Facebook a message titled 'Supporting President Moon Jae-in... Please make nationwide disaster basic income a reality,' praising the current government's response to COVID-19 by stating, "As COVID-19 threatens the world, South Korea, under the direct leadership of President Moon Jae-in, with central ministries, local governments, dedicated medical staff, and citizens working in unison, is carrying out exemplary quarantine measures praised worldwide."

He added, "Just as flowers bloom and new buds sprout preparing for the days of fresh greenery despite enduring the cold winter and facing the cold snap, COVID-19 will be overcome through the President's firm leadership," expressing hope. He also noted, "As a part of the current economic crisis response measures, temporary disaster basic income is being considered at the government level, and reports are emerging that the payment target may be limited to some lower-income groups."

Lee has repeatedly proposed paying disaster basic income in local currency usable within a certain period to revitalize the economy hit by COVID-19. Governors Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam Province and Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, have also joined this initiative, drawing significant attention to disaster basic income as a new solution to COVID-19.

In particular, Lee emphasized the necessity of introducing disaster basic income by stating, "In a society where the Fourth Industrial Revolution symbolized by AI robots intensifies the concentration of income and assets, and where job shortages and mass unemployment become commonplace, past charitable welfare policies and supplier-centered traditional fiscal policies can no longer be effective."

Furthermore, he argued, "Currently, large-scale fiscal spending is being discussed to overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, with disaster basic income at its core. Although economic bureaucrats and traditional economic experts, accustomed to living in an era lacking investment funds despite a shortage of investment opportunities, find it difficult to move away from selective support claims, I insist that this disaster basic income must be paid equally to all citizens."

As grounds for his argument, Lee cited: ▲ disaster basic income is not a welfare policy implemented for the disadvantaged during normal economic times but a key economic policy to overcome a catastrophic economic crisis; ▲ the majority of citizens, except for the top 10% wealthiest, are experiencing the crisis due to the rapid economic downturn; ▲ providing benefits only to those who pay little or no taxes, excluding high taxpayers, can cause tax and policy resistance due to the mismatch between resource bearers and beneficiaries; ▲ the double discrimination controversy where wealthy individuals who pay more taxes are deprived of benefits from policies funded by their taxes.

He also mentioned: ▲ eliminating the stigma of poverty caused by selective payments; ▲ supporting citizens with basic income rather than other expenditures aligns with the purpose and intent of fiscal policy to overcome a temporary economic crisis; ▲ preventing waste of time and costs for investigations required for selective payments; ▲ advocacy for disaster basic income by global scholars including Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman, and the implementation and consideration of disaster basic income for citizens by countries worldwide, including the United States.

In conclusion, Lee said, "I support and encourage President Moon Jae-in, who fights against complacent past practices and strives to overcome the emergency economic crisis and build a fair economic society," adding, "I hope this economic crisis will be overcome with bold disaster basic income for all citizens, beyond anyone's imagination."

Meanwhile, the government is reportedly actively considering providing gift certificates to middle- and lower-income citizens.

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