Lee Jae-myung "Basic Income Necessary for Transformative Fair Growth"

Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province and a preliminary presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a welcoming speech at the National Assembly forum on the 'Real Estate Market Act Legislation' held at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 6th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, reiterated his commitment to the 'basic income' pledge, which had sparked controversy over 'changing his stance.'

On the 12th, Lee appeared on SBS 8 News and said, "My number one pledge is transformative fair growth, and one of the mechanisms to achieve this is basic income," adding, "The economic revitalization through local currency was proven by the first disaster relief fund payment. If the first disaster relief fund is paid regularly, that is basic income."

He continued, "So far, the concept has been to increase the amount from small to large for all citizens, but there is also a way to expand sideways to specific sectors such as youth, rural fishing villages, and the disabled," adding, "It is a welfare-oriented economic policy that I will definitely implement, but since it requires increasing resources, we need to create a state where the public can agree to tax increases."

Lee had previously stated in his declaration of candidacy on the 1st, "I will introduce basic income to increase insufficient consumption, revive the economy, and create a society where everyone enjoys at least a minimum economic abundance and can do what they want." However, he later said, "Basic income may not be the number one pledge," which drew criticism for 'changing his stance.'

Regarding his remarks referring to the U.S. military as an occupying force, he said, "The U.S. military that entered before the establishment of the Republic of Korea government immediately after liberation was indeed an occupying force, as they described themselves," adding, "It is true that the failure to purge pro-Japanese collaborators at that time and the participation of some pro-Japanese factions in the government establishment have left the issue of purging pro-Japanese collaborators as a subject of ongoing debate."

Lee added, "However, after the government was established, the U.S. military withdrew, and the forces that came back did so because of the Korea-U.S. treaty," and said, "The U.S. military immediately after liberation and the U.S. military after the establishment of the (Korean) government are different."

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