"I am a Tenant" What Does Yoon Hee-sook's 'Betrayal of Policy' Contain?

"I am a Tenant"... Yoon Hee-sook's '5-Minute Real Estate Speech' Sparks Attention
Her Book 'Betrayal of Policy' Draws Interest Inside and Outside Politics
Critiques Minimum Wage Increase, Zero Non-Regular Workers, and Moon Jae-in Government Policies Point by Point

A 'Yoon Hee-sook wave' is sweeping through the United Future Party. On the 30th of last month, Representative Yoon became an instant 'star freshman' after delivering a passionate 5-minute speech opposing the three lease laws at the plenary session. The factors behind her rising popularity include her logical and persuasive arguments based on expertise. The heightened sensitivity of the public towards real estate also played a role. The photo shows United Future Party Representative Yoon Hee-sook delivering a speech at the plenary session on the 30th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the Future United Party, is widely recognized for her speech opposing the 'Three Lease Laws,' which has become a representative statement against the Moon Jae-in administration's real estate policies. In particular, her book published before entering the National Assembly, Betrayal of Policy, continues to be a hot topic both inside and outside the political sphere.

Betrayal of Policy (published by 21st Century Books) centers on the idea that policies presented by the 386 generation under the guise of goodwill have actually kicked away the 'ladder of opportunity' for future generations, thereby deepening social inequality.

The representative cases Yoon pointed out as 'betrayal policies' include six policies that President Moon Jae-in pledged at the time of his inauguration: △minimum wage increase △52-hour workweek △zero irregular workers △national pension △retirement age extension promotion △new industry policies. Through her book, she meticulously criticized the Moon administration's economic policies.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Who Benefits from the Drastic Minimum Wage Increase?"

In the chapter titled "Minimum Wage: It's Not Always Good Just Because It Goes Up," Yoon stated, "During the first two years after the Moon administration took office, the statutory minimum wage rose by 29%. The drastic increase in the minimum wage was promoted as a flagship policy, claiming it would help not only distribution but also growth." She added, "In the first year of the new government, the minimum wage increased by 16.4%, and its effects began to impact from 2018."

She further pointed out, "In 2018, the first year of double-digit minimum wage increases, jobs at small businesses with fewer than five employees decreased by 240,000. (Omitted) So, who exactly is the drastic minimum wage increase for? Was it a policy intended to help low-wage workers but simply mispredicted in its outcomes?"

Especially, she reiterated criticism by saying, "It is common sense, even for non-experts, that minimum wage increases should not be so abrupt that the economy cannot absorb the shock and employment declines. In fact, this is the primary principle considered by all countries when raising the minimum wage."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ 52-Hour Workweek System: "Who Benefits and Who Pays the Price?"

Regarding the 52-hour workweek system, she outright called it "the main culprit that worsened the economy."

Yoon explained, "Korean workers have long suffered from brutal long working hours, so there have been consistent calls to reduce working hours. This time, there was even an argument that this would solve job issues," but she criticized, "Forcing low-productivity businesses to strictly comply with an 8-hour workday suddenly is tantamount to telling them to close down."

She raised several questions, saying, "Are Korean working hours really absurdly long? How much evidence supports the goal of creating jobs by reducing working hours? Is uniform legislation the right way to improve long working hours? Why was such a uniform approach adopted, and ultimately, who benefits and who pays the price?"?pointing out the system's flaws.

◆ "Protecting Regular Workers, Regularizing Irregular Workers, and Creating Jobs Cannot Be Achieved Simultaneously"

Yoon particularly argued that the 'zero irregular workers' policy actually harms workers. She said, "After President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017, his first external schedule was to visit Incheon International Airport Corporation and immediately convert 10,000 irregular workers to regular workers. Subsequently, public institutions were ordered to convert all irregular workers to regular workers within the year, and this was hurriedly implemented."

She continued, "To improve the treatment of irregular workers without reducing the number of jobs, excessive parts of regular workers' treatment must be cut. In other words, protecting regular workers, regularizing irregular workers, and creating jobs are three policy goals that cannot be achieved simultaneously."

Yoon stated, "Society needs irregular workers," arguing, "If only regular jobs exist, companies will provide jobs much more selectively, so many vulnerable workers will likely lose job opportunities altogether." She added, "This also has important implications for poverty policy," emphasizing, "It increases difficulties for vulnerable workers and impacts household income."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Intergenerational Unfairness Has Reached Its Peak... The Public Must Be Persuaded"

Regarding the Moon administration's national pension policy, she criticized, "Although it became clear in the 2018 fiscal recalculation that a comprehensive plan was inevitable, the government's reform plan showed no such will. Intergenerational unfairness has reached its peak, yet there is neither the capability nor the will to resolve it."

Yoon emphasized, "The fundamental difficulty in operating the pension system lies in conflicting interests between generations. Maintaining a healthy pension system requires leadership and a socially fair group to persuade the public through a painstaking process." She added, "Aging, low birth rates, and low growth trends make pension reform even more urgent, yet there is no attempt to properly address these issues."

◆ "Institutional Bottlenecks Preventing Fair Competition Among Youth Must Be Resolved"

Regarding basic income, Yoon criticized it as a "youth support policy that does not truly support youth." She said, "Providing cash payments to comfort young people is a very short-term and volatile policy. What is important now is to resolve the institutional bottlenecks that prevent the older and younger generations from competing fairly for opportunities." She lamented, "Unfortunately, by giving cash benefits, there has been some success in quieting questions and demands for solutions to these structural problems."

Meanwhile, members of the United Future Party have recommended reading Yoon's book Betrayal of Policy. On the 1st, Representative Kim Woong wrote on his Facebook, "If you read Betrayal of Policy, you will understand how the youth are being deceived by the power of the 86 generation and how their future is being sold. Wake up, unite, and fight."

Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also posted on Facebook on the 1st, saying, "The power of persuasion and emotion! The eye for policy, the power of words, and sincerity conveyed with the whole body! If a person like this becomes Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, real estate would already be under control." He added, "The incompetent Minister Kim Hyun-mi still blaming the previous administration! The helpless President Moon Jae-in who only looks to such Kim Hyun-mi! Are you watching? I just ordered the book. Yoon Hee-sook's Betrayal of Policy."

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