Lee Jae-myung VS Yoo Seung-min, Ongoing Debate Over Wealth-Proportional Fines

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min (above) and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (below). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Regarding the 'wealth-proportional fine system,' Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and opposition party lawmakers continue to engage in heated debates, showing a sharp clash of opinions. In response to Governor Lee, who advocated for the introduction of the 'wealth-proportional fine system,' Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out, "You say the application logic should vary depending on the situation, so you need to answer why the same amount should be provided to citizens in different circumstances." Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also retorted, "Do you think basic income is a fair policy that supports the common people?"

On the 2nd, former lawmaker Yoo posted on his Facebook, "'Basic income is unfair'?this is the core of the debate." This was a rebuttal to Governor Lee's criticism on the 30th of last month, when Lee called Yoo's criticism of the 'wealth-proportional fine' "a sophistry that even elementary school students cannot accept."

He wrote, "Regarding Governor Lee's claim that the wealth-proportional fine is a 'fair fine,' I said that 'Governor Lee has confessed that basic income is unfair.'" He added, "Instead of providing a proper answer to my criticism, Governor Lee poured out emotionally charged harsh insults such as 'sophistry that even elementary school students cannot accept,' 'elementary errors,' and 'without skill.' It is absurd that someone who talks about 'dignified politics with constructive debates' cannot give logical and common-sense answers but responds emotionally and irrelevantly."

On the 2nd, former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min posted a statement on his Facebook regarding the fairness of the 'wealth-proportional fine.' [Photo by Facebook]

Former lawmaker Yoo continued, "The core of my criticism is that 'basic income, which distributes the same amount of money regardless of whether income or wealth is high or low, is unfair and anti-common people.'" He also asked Governor Lee, "Do you think basic income is a fair policy that supports the common people?"

Yoo pointed out, "Governor Lee has never given a clear answer to this question," and said, "Let's take this opportunity to think about 'what equality, fairness, and justice really are.'" He also advised, "I hope you read Professor Michael Sandel's recent book ."

Earlier, on the 25th of last month, Governor Lee argued, "We need to introduce the 'wealth-proportional fine system' to fundamentally secure practical fairness." He stated, "Everyone should be equal before the law, and it should be enforced fairly so that no one is wronged," adding, "But if you think about whether everyone is truly equal before the law in reality, it is not necessarily so. This is especially true for fines."

Governor Lee continued, "The fine system adopts a total amount fine system, imposing fines uniformly regardless of individual circumstances," criticizing, "Even if the same crime is committed and fined, the burden is not significant for the wealthy, reducing the punitive effect, while it inevitably becomes harsher for the poor." He repeatedly advocates for the introduction of the 'wealth-proportional fine system,' which imposes fines in proportion to wealth and income levels.

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