Yoon Hee-sook: "Lee Jae-myung, who proposed property-proportional fines citing 'Finland' as an example... the basis is incorrect"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (above) and People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook (below). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, criticized the uniform fine system and advocated for the introduction of a 'wealth-proportional fine system.' In response, Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, said, "It is worth considering," but also criticized, "I wonder why falsehoods are mixed in."

On the 25th, Lee posted on Facebook an article titled "Wealth-Proportional Fine System for Substantial Fairness in Punishment," arguing, "The law is the minimum rule to maintain the community, so everyone should be equal before the law, and it must be enforced fairly so that no one is wronged."

He then pointed out the "fine penalty." He said, "Under current law, taxes, pensions, and insurance are paid differently according to property and income levels, but fines adopt a total amount fine system, imposing fines uniformly regardless of individual circumstances," adding, "Even if the same crime is committed and fined, the rich are not burdened much, reducing the effect of punishment, while it inevitably becomes harsher for the poor."

Lee raised his voice, saying, "More fundamentally, to secure substantial fairness, the 'wealth-proportional fine system' must be introduced."

The wealth-proportional fine system differentiates the amount of fines according to the defendant's economic power, meaning that even if the same crime is committed, those with more wealth must pay higher fines than those with less.

He said, "Finland introduced this system 100 years ago in 1921, and Germany, which is considered relatively late, adopted it in 1975," adding, "According to a survey by the Korea Institute of Criminology, 76.5% of the general public support the introduction of the wealth-proportional fine system, indicating a high level of social consensus in Korea as well."

In response, on the same day, Representative Yoon posted on her Facebook titled "Governor Lee Jae-myung, who suggests adjusting fines according to circumstances, I wonder why falsehoods are mixed in," criticizing Lee's claim as containing 'falsehoods.'

On the 25th, Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, posted on her Facebook with the title "Governor Lee Jae-myung, who suggests adjusting fines according to circumstances, why mix in falsehoods?" [Photo by Facebook]

Representative Yoon emphasized, "In Finland, a high-income businessman who was caught speeding in 2015 was fined 54,000 euros (about 70 million won), which became a hot topic," adding, "This differential fine system is based on 'income'." This corrects Lee's example by stating that Finland sets fines based on 'income,' not 'wealth.'

She said, "Since fines must ultimately be paid with income, this is natural," and added, "If fines were based on wealth, a retired elderly person with only one house and no income might have to sell their house to pay the fine, so it doesn't make sense from the start."

Furthermore, Representative Yoon said, "It is strange that Governor Lee cited Finland and Germany as examples, claiming these countries implement a 'wealth-proportional fine system,' deliberately telling falsehoods to advocate for the 'wealth-proportional fine system.'" She continued, "It is hard to believe that someone at the level of a governor of Gyeonggi Province cannot distinguish between income and wealth, so I am curious about the intention behind (telling falsehoods)," adding, "If you want to punish wealthy people, you need to bring appropriate grounds and logic."

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