People Power Party on the ruling party's 'Rent Freeze Bill': "Unwarranted Fairness Standard... Only Fuels Conflict"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] On the 16th, the People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party of Korea for proposing the 'Rent Freeze Act,' saying, "They suddenly applied the standard of fairness to rent," and "They are only inciting further social conflicts."

Kim Yeryeong, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement that "The president, who should consider the entire nation, is dividing landlords as the strong and tenants as the weak by talking about 'fairness in rent.'

Earlier, Lee Dongju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed the 'Rent Freeze Act,' which exempts rent for businesses subject to closure orders and reduces rent by 50% for businesses under restrictions. In response, spokesperson Kim pointed out, "The ruling party's behavior of blindly following the president's will is only fueling further social conflicts."

He criticized, "Although rent, which accounts for a significant portion of fixed expenses, is indeed a heavy burden for self-employed people whose sales have plummeted due to the COVID-19 crisis, rent is clearly private property," adding, "It is highly likely to infringe on property rights if the state intervenes to forcibly regulate it."

Spokesperson Kim continued, "Landlords are also suffering due to COVID-19," and raised his voice, saying, "What about the landlords who rely on the rent from small commercial buildings, which they purchased with savings for old-age plans and 'Yeongkkeul' (borrowing to the limit) loans, to repay their debts, despite income losses caused by increased vacancy rates from the closure of self-employed businesses and the continued burden of various taxes?"

He sharply criticized, "It was the Moon administration that loosened the reins when they should have tightened quarantine measures and repeatedly engaged in inconsistent and delayed responses," and said, "(The Rent Freeze Act) is a government trick to shift the burden of rent onto landlords to evade responsibility for quarantine failures and avoid the anger of self-employed people." He added, "The government, which divides the people again under the guise of 'fairness,' leaves the public speechless."

Spokesperson Kim emphasized, "At a time when the entire nation should unite to overcome national crises, we must not force the sacrifice of one side nor cover up the government's mistakes by dividing people under the pretense of fairness," and stressed, "The priority should be to propose solutions where all citizens can coexist."

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