Lee Jae-myung: "'Corona Jean Valjean' Still in Prison... Why Universal Welfare Is Needed"

Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, pointed out the limitations of selective welfare systems on the 14th by mentioning the 'Corona Jean Valjean' who was sentenced to one year in prison for stealing eggs after starving for more than a week due to COVID-19.

On that day, Lee posted on his Facebook under the title "The Corona Jean Valjean is still in prison," saying, "Do you remember the 'Corona Jean Valjean' who was sentenced to one year in prison for stealing eggs after starving for more than a week because free meal centers were closed and he couldn't find work due to COVID-19?" He introduced him as "the person who became the reason for creating the 'Gyeonggi Just Give Center,' which provides minimum food to anyone without discrimination."

He said, "No one who has not experienced the pain and suffering of hunger can even imagine it," adding, "The almost forgotten memory of hunger was revived, and I could not just ignore the situation where people risked punishment to steal food, so despite expecting criticism calling it 'handouts' or 'populism,' we urgently created the 'Gyeonggi Just Give Corner' and are expanding it to all 31 cities and counties."

He continued, "Based on basic data collection, it is highly likely that this person is eligible for welfare, so after interviews and investigations, we can provide not only minimum living expenses but also housing measures," and said, "I visited the detention center earlier this week to hear his situation, and if he agrees, we will conduct investigations and assessments to implement welfare measures."

Lee then pointed out, "The issue I really want to address is the limitations and blind spots of selective welfare," explaining, "In a case like this, the person would be eligible for various welfare policies such as livelihood benefits, so even without stealing, if he had just gone to the community service center, he could have been guaranteed food and minimum living expenses. However, because he did not know this fact, he ended up committing a crime and was sentenced to one year in prison."

He also criticized, "Our welfare system is mostly selective support, so the individual must report themselves saying, 'I am poor and incapable and need protection. Please help me,' and then the authorities review and verify poverty and incapacity before providing support," adding, "Poor and struggling people have to be cautious even when pleading poverty, and it is difficult to understand the complicated selective welfare system, so they eventually fall into blind spots leading to crime or extreme choices."

Finally, Lee emphasized, "This Jean Valjean case is exactly why the welfare necessary for the minimum life of the people should be universal welfare that does not require application and assessment," and stated, "The goal of politics is a society where everyone lives well together, and the process of politics should be Eokgangbuyak (抑强扶弱 - suppressing the strong and helping the weak)."

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