Democratic Party "Second Emergency Disaster Relief Fund Should Be Promoted... Jeon Gwang-hoon Church Faces Livelihood Threat"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Within the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, there have been calls to provide a second round of emergency disaster relief funds in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Seol Hoon, a Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 21st, "This is a time when the government's proactive role is crucial. We must promote the second emergency disaster relief fund to protect vulnerable groups and establish a defense line for domestic demand."

He added, "The emergency disaster relief funds provided in May had the effect of stabilizing the lives of ordinary citizens and revitalizing neighborhood markets, serving as a stepping stone to minimize the Korean economy's recession. Cities such as Daegu, Ulju, and Yangsan have announced plans for the second emergency disaster relief fund. I believe it is time for the government to also take active fiscal policies to protect employment and defend the economy," emphasizing the point.

Park Kwang-on, another Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party, said, "According to the household trend data for the second quarter released by Statistics Korea yesterday, the first income quintile saw an increase in public transfer income, which eased income disparity. The government's disaster relief funds and expanded emergency welfare have become a pillar of the social safety net," adding, "The crisis triggered by Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon’s church has further threatened the livelihood of the first income quintile. This is why the National Assembly needs to prepare proactive and extraordinary measures."

Earlier, Representative Park Jumin, who is running in the Democratic Party leadership race, also proposed on the 20th that the second emergency disaster relief fund is necessary and suggested discussing it with fellow party leadership candidate Lee Nak-yeon. Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, also stated at the party's executive committee meeting on the same day that providing a second round of disaster relief funds is inevitable to prevent further decline of the Korean economy, and regarding the scale, she argued it should be "at a level comparable to the first round of payments."

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