'Presidential Bid' Jeong Seyeon: "This Country Must Not Become a Political Testing Ground"... Targeting Lee Jae-myung

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Jeong Se-gyun, former Prime Minister and presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, publicly criticized Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's basic income theory on the 26th, saying, "This country should not become a political experiment ground."

On the same day, Jeong posted on his Facebook, stating, "The claim that the 5th disaster relief fund should be given even to the top 1% wealthy is populism trapped in political logic, not economic logic," and added, "Just because universal free school meals are right does not mean disaster relief funds should always be provided to all citizens nationwide."

He also argued, "Statements that demand universal support for every issue to rationalize one's claim or that involve the president by saying 'follow the president's will' should be restrained." This is interpreted as a critique of Governor Lee's earlier remark directed at Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, who advocated selective payment of disaster relief funds, saying, "The Ministry of Economy and Finance is not an independent institution. It has an obligation to carry out the instructions of the president, who is the commanding authority."

He also raised his voice of criticism toward the party leadership advocating for 'nationwide disaster relief funds.' Jeong criticized, "Without consistency and efficiency in policy, falling into the dogmatic order of unconditional universal support for all citizens causes conflicts among the party, government, and Blue House, making it difficult to gain the people's trust and achieve regime re-creation."

He continued, "Herd immunity comes first," emphasizing, "Until then, whether it is compensation for losses or disaster relief, it is right to provide substantial support to the severely affected groups."

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