Strengthening Lee Nak-yeon's Welfare Style... Kim Yeon-myeong: "Basic Income Is Not a Panacea"

Lecture on "New Welfare Vision in the Post-Corona Era" on the 17th
Former Cheong Wa Dae Senior Secretary Kim Yeon-myeong: "Universal Basic Income Is Not the Solution to All Problems"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] "Basic income is not a panacea that resolves life instability."

Kim Yeon-myeong, former Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Blue House who participated in designing the new welfare system of Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said this on the 17th at a special lecture titled 'New Welfare Vision in the Post-Corona Era' held at the Yeouido Irum Center.

At the event hosted by the National Assembly research group 'Innovative Inclusive Nation Future Vision,' chaired by Secretary-General Park Kwang-on, Kim spoke as a lecturer, stating, "We must fully accept the awareness of the issues behind why universal basic income emerged," thereby lending weight to Lee's new welfare system plan.

Kim said, "Modern society faces complex risks, so policies need to comprehensively cover all areas necessary for the reproduction of life, not just income issues but also housing, care, medical services, culture, environment, and education," adding, "The recently emerging 'universal basic income' is one of the alternatives to alleviate citizens' life instability during this great transition. While the awareness of problems inherent in basic income should be progressively accepted, it is also clear that it is not a panacea for resolving life instability," pointing out its limitations.

Accordingly, he explained that attention should be paid to a 'universal social protection' system rather than basic income.

Kim said, "What universal social protection aims for is not uniform averageism that provides the same cash and services to everyone," but "flexibly applying selectivism and universalism to provide all citizens with a 'comprehensive' social safety net tailored to each country's circumstances."

He also emphasized the necessity of 'National Living Standards 2030,' a concrete plan of the new welfare system proposed by Lee.

Kim explained, "National Living Standards 2030 expresses the will to raise the quality of life to a fully advanced country level by 2030," adding, "It is about preparing and implementing safety nets across all areas beyond income, including health, employment, culture, and environment."

He continued, "It is based on the logic that growth and distribution have a virtuous cycle relationship," and added, "I expect the Democratic Party to sequentially present proposals based on what Lee announced and continue social discussions."

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