Yoo Seung-min: "President Moon, This Is Not the Right Time for the Corruption Investigation Office... We Must Prepare the Economy After COVID-19"

“Government Must Take Responsibility for Vaccines... Essential for Our Economy”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min said on the 30th, addressing President Moon Jae-in, “Now is not the time for the impeachment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl,” adding, “This is a time when life and safety, as well as jobs, unemployment, poverty, and housing?issues related to people’s livelihoods?are important. It is also time to prepare for the Korean economy after the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).”

On the same day, Yoo wrote on Facebook, “I earnestly appeal to President Moon, who is effectively entering the last year of his term,” and said, “In the new year, I hope he will devote himself to protecting the lives of the people and the livelihood economy.”

He emphasized, “The government must take responsibility for vaccines. More than 40 countries have already started vaccinations,” and “It is the government’s responsibility to secure sufficient vaccine supplies as quickly as possible and to advance the completion date of vaccinations as much as possible.”

He continued, “COVID-19 is leaving deep wounds on our economy and people’s livelihoods. It is a crisis situation, with negative growth recorded for the first time in 22 years since the IMF crisis,” and added, “The global economy will polarize due to the vaccine divide, so bringing vaccines as soon as possible is essential for our economy as well.”

Yoo said, “The K-polarization after the COVID-19 crisis may cause even more severe inequality than during the IMF crisis,” and “Closures and unemployment are spreading rapidly in self-employed businesses, small and medium enterprises, and service industries directly linked to the jobs and incomes of ordinary people. We need to establish employment and social safety nets on a level different from before.”

Yoo added, “In an uncertain situation where it is unclear how severe or how long K-polarization will last, the government must continuously protect those who truly need national assistance,” and “To this end, the government must adhere to fiscal principles that save on non-urgent expenditures and spend budgets only where necessary. Only by rejecting irresponsible populism that proposes giving money to all citizens before elections can taxes be spent where they are truly needed.”

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