Yoo Seung-min Criticizes Lee Jae-myung... "Support Should Be for the Bottom 50% Income, Not the Entire Nation"

"Old-fashioned Politics and Negative 'Political Attacks'... Are They Not Confident in Debates?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung on the 12th, saying, “Governor Lee long insisted that ‘universal payment to all citizens is right,’ but starting last week, he suddenly changed his stance and showed cunning by completely reversing his words, saying ‘it’s okay to mix universal and selective payments.’”

On the same day, Yoo said on Facebook, “Yesterday, Governor Lee sang the praises of President Moon Jae-in’s New Year’s address. While showing an embarrassingly submissive attitude toward the president, Governor Lee launched a political attack, calling critical views on universal disaster relief funds ‘old-fashioned politics and negative campaigning.’”

He added, “The issue of whether to give disaster relief funds to all citizens or only to affected groups is a matter of which policy is right to overcome K-polarization caused by COVID-19. Isn’t Governor Lee’s attitude, as if he lacks confidence in debate and tries to escape reasonable policy discussions, a typical example of old-fashioned politics and negativity?”

He continued, “The claim that ‘since the 2nd and 3rd rounds were selective, the 4th round should be universal’ is also an unfounded assertion,” adding, “With the election approaching, if proposing to give the same amount of money to all citizens like in the last general election is not vote-buying, then what is it?”

Former lawmaker Yoo said, “Governor Lee said that our country’s national finances are ‘excessively sound.’ Perhaps because of this thinking, he also made the absurd remark that ‘it’s okay to give disaster relief funds 50 or 100 times.’ However, President Moon, the Democratic Party, and Governor Lee should all be grateful for sound national finances. If the national finances, the last bastion, were not sound, how could we have overcome the IMF crisis and the financial crisis? Do not forget that the strength to overcome the current COVID-19 crisis lies in our sound national finances.”

Yoo added, “The solution in the era of COVID-19 polarization is for the state to extend a helping hand without fail to those suffering the most from the COVID economic crisis. That is common sense, fairness, justice, and also the right economic policy,” and said, “The solution is not to give to all citizens but, as I have consistently argued, to focus on helping the bottom 50% income earners, self-employed, small business owners, and the unemployed who have been affected.”

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