Lee Jae-myung, Oh Se-hoon Criticize 'Safe Income,' Direct Hit at Lee Nak-yeon?

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, openly criticized Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul from the People Power Party, regarding his 'Safe Income' policy on the 28th.

This stance is quite different from a few days ago when former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon refrained from criticizing 'Basic Income.' As a result, some speculate that Lee Jae-myung’s criticism of Mayor Oh’s 'Safe Income' might be an indirect attack on former leader Lee.

It is believed that Lee Jae-myung held back from directly attacking Lee Nak-yeon to avoid a mudslinging fight between two leading presidential candidates within the Democratic Party, which could negatively affect public perception. Additionally, engaging in a verbal battle with Lee Nak-yeon might provide the opposition People Power Party with another opportunity for counterattack.

In this context, when Mayor Oh from the opposition party advocated for Safe Income, Lee Jae-myung revealed his hidden 'aggressive instinct.'

Through Facebook on the same day, Lee said, "It seems that philosophical differences are inevitable," and began by stating, "Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, who previously sparked controversy over discriminatory free meals by proposing free meals only for low-income children, has now launched 'Safe Income,' which selectively supports households below the median income."

He continued, "In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where massive job losses and worsening income inequality cause structural economic recession due to polarized consumption demand, the 'local currency-type basic income' policy, which simultaneously alleviates income polarization and guarantees economic growth by increasing sales in neighborhood markets, is exactly the opposite of this policy," sharply criticizing it.

He also said, "Mayor Oh’s Safe Income contradicts the People Power Party’s policy stance of prioritizing the introduction of basic income," and questioned, "Is this the manifestation of the People Power Party’s bad habit of deceiving the public with empty promises, or is it Mayor Oh’s personal deviation?"

Furthermore, Lee pointed out, "Safe Income is a shortsighted remedy unsuitable for an era of low growth and polarization," adding, "It excludes high-income earners who pay more taxes due to their income and provides income support only to low-income earners who do not pay taxes, thereby doubly discriminating against the middle class and the wealthy by giving them benefits beyond tax revenue. It divides the people into 'a sacrificial group that only pays taxes' and 'a beneficiary group that only receives benefits,' fostering conflict, confrontation, and stigmatization?an outdated idea."

He emphasized, "Separating taxpayers who bear the financial burden from beneficiaries causes tax resistance, making it impossible to secure funding. Also, cash payments cannot be expected to have any economic revitalization effect through increased sales," and praised the efficiency of universal basic income by stating, "It has been statistically proven and already felt by the public that the first disaster relief fund of 13 trillion won, paid universally in the form of expiring local currency basic income, had a greater economic effect than the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th selective cash support totaling 40 trillion won."

Lee further criticized Safe Income by saying, "The middle class and the wealthy are not criminals (to be excluded from government benefits without any reason). It is difficult to gain consent for funding that unilaterally demands sacrifice and responsibility only from them, who are simply successful ordinary people."

In conclusion, he said, "South Korea has the lowest household income support among national fiscal expenditures and the highest household debt ratio in the world," and urged, "When supporting household income with taxes paid by the middle class and the wealthy, please let the public decide whether selective cash support (Safe Income) or fair local currency support (Basic Income) is better."

Meanwhile, former leader Lee Nak-yeon directly criticized Lee Jae-myung’s basic income on the 26th at a presidential candidate debate hosted by the Korea Newspaper and Broadcasting Editors Association at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, saying, "(Lee Jae-myung’s basic income) still has too many aspects to be verified, is premature, and has many challenges."

He added, "Even if 500,000 won is given monthly to one person, it would require 300 trillion won, more than half of the national budget," and pointed out, "It costs an enormous amount of money but does not help alleviate polarization; some analyses even say the opposite."

Taking a step further, on the 28th in a KBS interview, Lee Nak-yeon increased pressure by saying about Lee Jae-myung’s 'Basic Series' (Basic Income, Basic Loan, Basic Interest), "It is necessary to provide specific explanations and undergo verification. That is necessary for himself as well."

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