[Summary] Lee Jae-myung: "How about a 'Fair Fine'?"… Yoon Hee-sook: "Is it fair to selectively impose fines only?"

Ongoing Debate Over 'Property-Proportional Fine System'
Lee Jae-myung "Is the Name Important?" Takes a Step Back
Yoon Hee-sook "Absolutely Oppose Selective Welfare, Is Selective Fine Fair?" Narrow-Minded

Yoon Hee-sook, member of the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed gratitude to Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, who engaged in a debate with him over the 'wealth-proportional fine system,' and proposed, "How about a 'fair fine'?" However, Rep. Yoon continued to criticize Lee, saying, "The philosophy that selective fines are fair is narrow-minded."

On the 27th, Lee posted on Facebook, "Thanks to Rep. Yoon Hee-sook's rebuttals and opinions, the 'fair fine' has become a major issue in our society," adding, "If any expression I used during the debate upset you, I apologize and ask you to actively support the legislation of the fair fine system."

Earlier, on the 25th, Lee argued for the introduction of a wealth-proportional fine system, citing examples from Finland and Germany, saying, "Under current law, taxes and pensions are paid differently according to wealth and income levels, but fines are paid equally." Instead of the current 'total fine system,' which imposes the same fine for the same crime, he proposed adjusting fines according to economic circumstances.

In response, Rep. Yoon said Lee's proposal was worth considering but pointed out, "In 2015, Finland fined a high-income entrepreneur 70 million won for speeding, but this was differentiated based on 'income,' not 'wealth.'" In other words, she argued that the term 'wealth-proportional fine system' is not an accurate expression.

Rep. Yoon further criticized, "I find it 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 this."

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. / Photo by Yonhap News

In response, Lee retorted sharply, "The core concept of the wealth-proportional fine system is proportionality to economic power such as income and wealth. I never said the wealth-proportional fine system should be 'proportional only to wealth,' and rather indirectly indicated it should be proportional to both income and wealth. Please improve your Korean reading comprehension first," he rebutted.

Rep. Yoon did not back down and countered again. On the 26th, she wrote on Facebook, "A wealth-proportional fine means a fine proportional to the amount of wealth," adding, "Saying 'the wealth I referred to was economic power combining income and wealth' is not just a 'loose interpretation'."

She continued, "It shows you still do not understand how important the distinction between income and wealth is in policy," "Since taxes or fines paid to the state should be based on income, considering wealth as well as income is not only a conceptual issue but also a source of severe conflict in our society."

She added, "At this point, I oppose fines proportional to income or wealth, but I do support reducing fines for those with low income."

Yoon Hee-sook, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

Lee took a step back, saying, "As long as we get to Seoul, it doesn't matter which way we go; substance is more important than the name," and proposed calling it a 'fair fine.' He said, "I have no intention of insisting that the fine proportionality standard must be both wealth and income," adding, "I warmly welcome the People Power Party's claim that only income should be proportional, and I am grateful that the People Power Party agrees with the economic power-proportional fine system."

He emphasized, "Just as you can't be full from the first spoonful of rice and a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, even if perfect fairness is difficult, it is just and right to improve if it can be a little fairer."

However, Rep. Yoon continued her criticism on the 27th by posting an article titled, "Absolutely Opposed to Selective Welfare, What is Governor Lee Jae-myung's Philosophy That Selective Fines Are Fair?"

Rep. Yoon questioned, "If the actual burden and deterrent effect of fines on the rich and the poor must be the same, why apply this only to fines?" She asked, "If selectively setting fine amounts is fair, shouldn't cash welfare provided by the state also support the needy more to ensure that the benefits felt by the rich and the poor are effectively equal?" This is interpreted as a critique of Lee's emphasis on 'universal welfare' in various welfare policies.

Rep. Yoon also said, "While opposing selective cash support focused on the poor, I am very curious about the philosophy and values behind advocating only for selective fines," adding, "I am pointing out how narrow-minded it is to discuss fairness by isolating fines from other state actions."

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