Cheong "20,000 Won Communication Fee Not Meaningless... 80,000 Won Per Household Is Not a Small Amount"

Lee Hoseung Cheongwadae Economic Secretary
"Telecommunications Play Essential Role in Quarantine Supplies"

President Moon Jae-in stated at the 8th Emergency Economic Meeting held at the Blue House on the 10th that the 20,000 won communication fee support for all citizens aged 13 and over is "a small comfort and sincerity from the government for all citizens who are having difficulty with free face-to-face contact and economic activities due to COVID-19." The photo shows a telecommunications store in downtown Seoul on that day.

As controversy continues to spread over the plan to provide 20,000 won in communication expenses to citizens aged 13 and older, the Blue House emphasized that this plan is not meaningless to the public and provides practical help to individual households. It also reaffirmed its position to stick to the original plan despite calls for modifications.

Lee Ho-seung, the Blue House Chief Economic Secretary, stated in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 14th, "If a family has three or four middle school students or older, wouldn't that result in a communication cost reduction of 60,000 to 80,000 won?"

He said, "This is not a support that is given without meaning," adding, "From the perspective of ordinary citizens who have to pay communication fees every month, it is hard to understand why some say the amount is meaningless."

He explained the necessity of communication expense support by saying, "In the COVID-19 situation, people need to study and work online and remotely, and economic activities are taking place, so wireless communication plays a role as an essential item for quarantine."

Lee said, "It is the responsibility of the National Assembly to find better alternatives during the budget review process, so we will listen to the discussions," but also indicated that the Blue House is not considering other options at this stage by adding, "The government made this decision after much deliberation."

He expressed a negative stance toward the opposition party's proposal to support flu vaccinations instead of communication expenses and Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo's claim to expand free Wi-Fi networks.

Lee emphasized, "We have secured vaccines for 30 million people for flu vaccinations, but additional vaccines cannot be produced quickly," and "Expanding free Wi-Fi networks requires equipment, so it is difficult to implement immediately."

Regarding criticism over the exclusion of entertainment bars from the government's small business support fund amid the resurgence of COVID-19, he mentioned, "There has been no case of policy funds being provided to sectors with strong entertainment aspects."

Meanwhile, Lee analyzed the increase of more than 1 trillion won in credit loans since the beginning of this month, saying, "It can be assumed that these were loans related to subscription funds for Kakao Games' listing or loans supplementing mortgage loans."

He added, "Rapid growth in credit loans can also threaten economic stability, so we plan to prepare necessary measures."

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