"Isn't It Just Armchair Theory?" What Do You Think About the 20,000 Won Communication Fee Support?

People Power Party "Sending 20,000 Won to Large Corporation Accounts"
Lee Jae-myung "No Multiplier Effect, Regrettable" Criticism
Kim Kyung-soo "Expand Free Wi-Fi Instead of Communication Fees" Proposal
Government and Ruling Party Maintain Communication Fee Support Plan

President Moon Jae-in is holding a meeting with the leadership, including Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader, at the Blue House on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] Criticism from both inside and outside the political sphere is intensifying regarding the government's '20,000 KRW nationwide telecommunications fee support.' The opposition parties are raising their level of criticism daily, saying, "The 20,000 KRW ultimately goes into the accounts of large telecommunications companies," and voices of opposition are also emerging within the ruling party.

Cold reactions from citizens continue as well. It is pointed out that this contradicts the original intention of the government's emphasized 'customized support policy' as the method of the second disaster relief payment, and that the policy is more focused on winning public favor than on effectiveness.

Despite various criticisms, the government and ruling party maintain their stance to uphold this telecommunications fee support plan.

Earlier, on the 10th, the government announced the 4th supplementary budget plan worth 7.8 trillion KRW, stating that it would provide a one-time telecommunications fee support of 20,000 KRW to all citizens aged 13 and above. The support target is 46.4 million people, and the budget is estimated to be about 930 billion KRW. The 20,000 KRW telecommunications fee support was proposed by Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and promoted in response by President Moon Jae-in.

The opposition parties, including the People Power Party, continue to strongly criticize the telecommunications fee support.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the floor strategy meeting held on the 11th, "The reason for supporting telecommunications fees is that telecommunication usage increased due to non-face-to-face telecommuting during COVID-19, but since most people use flat-rate plans, telecommunications fees did not increase," and pointed out, "This clearly reveals moral hazard and financial waste of spending money ineffectively."

Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement at the National Assembly communication office on the 13th, explaining, "With 1 trillion KRW, scholarships of 500,000 KRW per person could be given to 1.99 million university students receiving low-quality education through non-face-to-face classes, and the 250.3 billion KRW budget for next year's childcare service support could be increased fourfold for dual-income couples."

He also said, "330 million KRW per 300,000 newborns (based on 2019), one month's additional unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs, and two months of electricity bills (average 125,000 KRW per month) for 2.9 million small business owners with annual sales under 400 million KRW could be supported."

Spokesperson Bae further criticized, "The 20,000 KRW ultimately goes into the accounts of large telecommunications companies," and said, "The 1 trillion KRW will evaporate like gas before it even reaches people's hands."

Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, strongly criticized on the 10th, saying, "The plan to support 20,000 KRW for telecommunications fees without context is even absurd," and added, "Support for self-employed people, who should be prioritized, is too thin, and the telecommunications fee support to appease public opinion is too shallow." She continued, "Recipients are reluctant, and since 1 trillion KRW is not a small amount, it is difficult for the Justice Party to approve a budget that has no consumption stimulation or economic effect."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People's Party, also strongly criticized in a post on his Facebook on the same day, saying, "Even as national debt rapidly increases, nearly 1 trillion KRW of huge money is being spent under the pretext of comforting the people, but in fact, it is to show off. It is a calculation to buy people's hearts for 20,000 KRW."

Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province. Photo by Yonhap News

Voices of opposition are also emerging within the ruling party.

Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, who emphasized 'universal support' in disaster relief payments, expressed a negative opinion regarding this telecommunications fee support, saying, "Since it goes directly to the telecommunications companies, there is no multiplier effect."

Kim Kyung-soo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, proposed investing the telecommunications fee budget in 'expanding free Wi-Fi networks' instead. On the 12th, Kim posted on his Facebook, "If the opposition strongly opposes and some citizens are critical, why not consider other alternatives that can achieve the policy goal of 'reducing telecommunications fee burden'?"

Kim said, "Many young people look for cafes with free Wi-Fi access due to the burden of data communication fees," and added, "Instead of providing a one-time telecommunications fee with a budget of 900 billion KRW, if free Wi-Fi networks are greatly expanded in public places including schools, public transportation such as buses, and senior centers frequently visited by the elderly, it would greatly help reduce citizens' telecommunications fees."

Even the citizens who would receive the support show cold reactions. Office worker A (27) said, "It costs nearly 1 trillion KRW to provide 20,000 KRW support that could be done without it, so the taxes paid so far feel wasted," and criticized, "Such policies come out because they have no idea where and how citizens are struggling and only engage in armchair discussions."

Another office worker B in their 20s said, "They insist on selective payments to help those in more difficulty, so suddenly why do they want to provide 20,000 KRW support? It is absurd," and pointed out, "If this is the case, it would have been better to provide disaster relief payments to all citizens from the start. It is a policy that is neither here nor there."

On the other hand, there are opinions that positively evaluate receiving even a small amount of support during difficult times.

Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok said on the 11th on CBS radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Regarding telecommunications fees, since it can be a burden for all citizens, although insufficient, it is better than not receiving it."

Meanwhile, the government and ruling party maintain their stance to uphold this telecommunications fee support plan.

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, urgently convened a supreme council meeting on the 13th, raising speculation that the telecommunications fee payment would be reconsidered, but Chief Spokesperson Choi In-ho drew a line in a briefing after the meeting, saying, "The telecommunications fee issue has already been decided through consultations between the party and government. There was no discussion about it, and it is not a matter to be discussed."

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