Kim Boo-kyum "I'm sorry, please yield"... Prime Minister's plea amid controversy over selective national support payments

2021 2nd Supplementary Budget Proposal National Assembly Policy Speech

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum apologized on the 8th regarding the COVID-19 coexistence national support fund, which is to be provided selectively to the "bottom 80% income group," saying, "There may be some people who do not receive the support fund due to small differences," and added, "I am sorry." He continued, "Some may feel disappointed that they contribute but do not receive benefits. I ask for your understanding."

On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Kim gave a policy speech at the National Assembly related to the "2021 2nd supplementary budget (supplementary budget) and fund operation plan change," saying, "Please yield a little more to those whose family life and livelihood have been directly impacted." This was a moral apology in response to various controversies arising from the government's inaccurate income assessment criteria in the process of selecting beneficiaries for the national support fund, which is to be paid 250,000 won per person.

The "Hope Recovery Fund," which is to be paid differentially from 1 million to 9 million won to small business owners and self-employed people whose sales were affected by government quarantine measures, not only fails to properly reflect the scale of damage but also continues to spark controversy over discrimination by industry. Regarding this, Prime Minister Kim said, "I am well aware that the compensation is insufficient compared to the damage caused by infectious diseases and quarantine," and bowed his head again, saying, "I am sorry."

Prime Minister Kim said, "There may be people who feel unfair because we could not carefully identify everyone's damage and because of support according to industry. I understand," but he appealed, "It takes too much time and there are financial limitations to individually verify damage and proceed with compensation procedures for each business." He then asked for understanding, saying, "Please consider that there was an unavoidable aspect to provide support as quickly as possible to those who are more difficult and urgent."

The daily new COVID-19 cases recorded 1,275 the day before, marking the highest number since the outbreak. Prime Minister Kim said, "This is a critical turning point," and added, "We are reviewing the highest level of social distancing with the determination that there is no place to retreat anymore."

Amid the greatest crisis in quarantine, there are also criticisms that this 2nd supplementary budget, which focuses on "stimulating consumption," does not match reality. The total scale of this supplementary budget is 33 trillion won, with the main goal of boosting domestic demand through the payment of 250,000 won per citizen. Low-income groups will receive an additional 100,000 won as consumption-plus funds, and high-income groups with sufficient consumption capacity will even receive credit card cashback benefits. On the other hand, the budget allocated for vaccine and quarantine reinforcement is only 4.4 trillion won.

Prime Minister Kim revealed his concerns, saying, "Before this supplementary budget, the government's anguish was great," explaining, "Because we had to achieve a balanced goal of strongly supporting citizens struggling due to COVID-19, creating a foothold for economic recovery through domestic demand stimulation, and preparing for a major transition to a leading economy." Nevertheless, he requested the National Assembly, "Please promptly review and approve the supplementary budget submitted by the government so that citizens fighting through difficult times can receive timely support."

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