Lee Jae-myung: "I Will Comply as a Citizen with the Decision to 'Selectively Distribute' Disaster Relief Funds"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is holding a press conference appealing to the public regarding the metropolitan area outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection on the morning of the 20th of last month at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who has been advocating for the payment of a "second nationwide disaster relief fund," stated that he will "comply as a citizen and party member" with the ruling party and government’s decision to provide the support fund on a selective basis. Until now, Governor Lee has argued for distributing the support fund to all citizens nationwide, citing the national debt ratio and other factors.

In an interview with MBN's "News 8" on the afternoon of the 3rd, when asked whether he would follow the government's and ruling party's principle of selectively providing the second disaster relief fund, he said, "If the party or government makes the final decision, I am also a citizen, a member of the government, and a member of the party, so I must follow that decision."

He added, "We can debate vigorously and express differing opinions, but once a decision is made, I think we should support and cooperate with one voice without side effects."

However, Governor Lee said, "I still believe it is right to provide the fund to all citizens," adding, "Policies cannot be said to be absolutely right or wrong. We need to consider which policy is more effective in the current situation. From the standpoint of national unity, I believe providing the fund to all citizens is the right approach."

In July, Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate (right), and Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province (left), met for a meeting. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, Governor Lee and Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party and his rival in the next presidential race, showed differing views on the method of distributing the second disaster relief fund.

Governor Lee argued, "Since the situation may worsen once or twice more, 300,000 won should be given to all citizens," whereas Leader Lee insisted on selective distribution, saying, "It is in line with the system’s purpose to help those who are suffering more quickly and more substantially."

Additionally, on the 31st of last month, Governor Lee posted on his Facebook, "I do not understand the argument that we cannot provide the second disaster relief fund because the national debt ratio would increase, even though our country’s national debt ratio is only in the 40% range and would increase by just 0.8% if 300,000 won is given to all citizens," reaffirming his stance on providing the disaster relief fund to all citizens.

Meanwhile, on the 3rd, the Democratic Party and the government agreed to focus support on selected industries and groups affected by the COVID-19 related gathering ban orders and other restrictions.

It is reported that Han Jeong-ae, Chair of the Party Policy Committee, and Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, agreed on "customized emergency support" during a closed-door working-level meeting between the ruling party and government officials regarding the second emergency disaster relief fund and the fourth supplementary budget (supplementary budget) formulation.

The ruling party and government plan to hold a working-level and senior-level meeting today (the 4th) to finalize the recipients and scale of the second disaster relief fund. The goal is to submit the supplementary budget bill to the National Assembly by next week and start distributing the disaster relief fund before the Chuseok holiday.

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