Lee Jae-myung, on criticism that "40,000 won is pocket money income," says "There is no chicken that was not a chick"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is holding a press conference on the third relocation of public institutions in Gyeonggi Province at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on the morning of February 17.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Jumi Lee] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung responded to former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Se-yeon, who criticized his basic income as "allowance income," by saying, "Saying that 300,000 won should be considered basic income and 40,000 won is just allowance income is as uncomfortable as saying a chick is not a chicken."

On the 21st, Lee posted on his Facebook, "Previously, you belittled 170,000 won per month for a family of four, or 2 million won per year, as 'cosmetic samples,' and now you disparage it as 'allowance income,' which is truly regrettable," he pointed out.

He said, "It would be good if the amount were large, but if it cannot be implemented with a large amount, we should not give up but start small and grow it," adding, "There is no chicken that was not once a chick."

Regarding former lawmaker Kim's claim that "basic income should be at least 300,000 won per month," Lee countered, "I don't know how to secure the 190 trillion won needed immediately when starting with 300,000 won per month."

He criticized, "While verbally advocating for basic income, like the People Power Party pushing for selective payments, are you suggesting unrealistic and unacceptable claims such as 'waiting indefinitely until securing 190 trillion won for basic income funding' or 'abolishing all existing social welfare expenditures and replacing them with 300,000 won monthly basic income'?"

He continued, "You may not know because you haven't experienced it, but the reality for ordinary people is that without even tens of thousands of won, families make extreme choices, and people get taken to police detention for stealing eggs out of hunger," urging, "Please come down to the real world and speak in a way that fits the fierce living conditions of ordinary people."

Lee emphasized, "Basic income is not a distant mirage or an impossible empty promise. If we set our minds to it, we can implement small amounts and increase them, and it is an economic policy that guarantees sustainable growth in an era of insufficient aggregate demand through welfare effects such as income support and polarization mitigation, as well as economic revitalization by boosting consumption."

He added, "I hope that next time, Lawmaker Kim will present a feasible, sincere, and realistic basic income implementation plan."

Earlier, on the 18th, former lawmaker Kim said on Facebook, "Only when it is 300,000 won per person per month can it be called 'basic income.' I thought that about 41,600 won per month is difficult to name 'basic income,' and I emphasized that there is a high possibility of criticism that it is 'basic allowance'."

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