Disaster Relief Funds Are Not 'Tax Handouts'... The People's Lives Come First

Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering opening remarks at the COVID-19 National Crisis Overcoming Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea emphasized that the government's decision to provide emergency disaster relief funds is "putting the lives of the people first," in response to criticism that it is "giving away taxpayers' money." They also announced that they will ensure the supplementary budget bill is processed within April for prompt disbursement.

Lee In-young, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the COVID-19 National Crisis Overcoming Committee executive meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 31st, "We have made efforts to support as many people as possible. The reason we extended the emergency livelihood support benefits to 70% of the population instead of 50%," adding, "We ask those who are relatively well-off to show patience for their neighbors in need."

Lee also stated, "The government should immediately prepare and submit the second supplementary budget bill for the disaster relief funds," and added, "We request sufficient consultation with the opposition parties during this process. Even during the election period, I am willing to meet with the opposition leadership unconditionally."

Cho Jung-sik, the Democratic Party's policy chairman, said, "In response to calls to provide support to as many citizens as possible, it was finally decided to provide funds to the bottom 70% of income earners," adding, "The Democratic Party also feels some regret but asks for broad understanding and consent from those with higher incomes."

He continued, "Some opposition parties criticize this as giving away taxpayers' money and raise concerns about fiscal soundness, but right now, protecting the lives of the people is the top priority, and the scale of support and fiscal conditions are at a manageable level."

He further stated, "To ensure the policy's effectiveness, the support funds must be delivered to the people as soon as possible," and said, "The party and government will promptly prepare the second supplementary budget bill for the support funds and submit it to the National Assembly. We will do our best to have the supplementary budget processed by April at the latest."

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