Lee Jae-myung: "People Power Party, Stop Your 'Low-Level Politics' on COVID-19"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, urged the People Power Party to stop low-level politics, saying, "The people of the Republic of Korea are currently suffering the second most stressful situation in the world due to COVID-19, but they are not receiving proper support because of the People Power Party."

On the 20th, through Facebook, Governor Lee said, "According to surveys, among the top 10 countries, South Korea is the second most stressed nation related to COVID-19," and praised the high level of awareness of the Korean people, saying, "When told to wear masks, they wear them without complaint, and when quarantine guidelines are set, even though they suffer huge losses without covering fixed costs, they comply with the quarantine rules to the extent of closing their stores."

However, he lamented, "Despite such suffering, we are not receiving as much support as any other country in the world," adding, "Despite our advanced and community-conscious people, they (the People Power Party) are inciting people by calling disaster relief funds 'vote-buying acts' and insulting our people as primitive voters who 'give votes when money is thrown around.'"

Earlier, former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized President Moon Jae-in, saying, "He is worse than Shin Jae-min, the official who quit the Ministry of Strategy and Finance," and "Isn't it strange to comfort me with the taxes I paid? That's why it is called a vote-buying act before the election."

Governor Lee further pointed out, "When the greatest crisis in a century occurred due to COVID-19, major countries in the world, despite already carrying national debt of 110% of GDP, supported their people by accepting massive deficit fiscal spending averaging 13% of GDP," adding, "However, we barely accepted a deficit of about 3% of GDP for economic support spending, blocked by the conservative opposition party."

He especially added, "Even in this situation, politicians of the People Power Party, who have not escaped the narrow economic views of the wealthy party, make a fuss as if the country will collapse if fiscal spending is increased even slightly."

He also advised, "The reason for the existence of the state and politics, and the ultimate goal of administration, is the livelihood, that is, the lives of the people, and the core of livelihood is the economy. While it is understandable that chaebol families and ultra-high-income wealthy individuals who fear increased tax burdens oppose expanded fiscal spending, politicians and bureaucrats, even if they belong to the 'People Power Party' or the conservative bureaucratic society, must faithfully fulfill their duty as servants of the people."

Governor Lee added, "The late President Kim Dae-jung, a giant of democracy respected worldwide, said that our country now has good people, so good leaders should emerge to guide the people and lead ahead of resistance," adding, "This emphasizes the greatness of our people but also contains lamentation about the harsh level of our politics."

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