Lee Jun-seok on the 'Nationwide Disaster Relief Fund' Agreement... Continuous Complaints Inside and Outside the Party

Presidential Candidate Yoon Hee-sook: "Party Policy Is to Support Victimized Citizens"
People's Party Kwon Eun-hee: "Maybe They Saw Community Posts"

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, are greeting each other after finishing a dinner meeting at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul on the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Joon-yi] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, emphasized on the 14th that the agreement on the ‘nationwide disaster relief fund’ was an inevitable choice given the upcoming presidential election next year, highlighting achievements such as the expansion of compensation for small business owners’ damages. However, despite Lee’s explanation, criticism of the agreement on the ‘nationwide disaster relief fund’ continued both inside and outside the party.

On the same day, Lee stated on a radio broadcast, "I strongly want to question whether taking a stance of not giving disaster relief funds ahead of the presidential election is a strategically correct choice." He said the agreement with Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the day before was unavoidable.

He also emphasized the achievements such as the expansion of support for small business owners through the agreement with Song. Lee explained, "We included the perspective that compensation for small business owners’ damages should take priority over consumption-stimulating disaster relief funds," adding, "Song said it would be acceptable to eliminate about 1.2 trillion won of consumption-stimulating card cashback. We thought it would be better to reduce the proportion of consumption-stimulating disaster relief funds and increase support for small business owners."

Regarding criticism from presidential candidates including People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook, who called it a ‘unilateral decision against the party line,’ Lee said, "(The agreement) was not a bad position, but it seems the presidential candidates are somewhat uncomfortable," and added, "As party leader, I am somewhat skeptical about whether this would resonate with the public given the serious current COVID-19 situation."

On the other hand, criticism from inside and outside the party continued. Lawmaker Yoon appeared on a radio broadcast the same day and said, "Our party has argued that it is important to support the affected citizens, not whether it is nationwide or only some citizens, and I have also held that view," adding, "When borrowing money from the next generation to spend, it should really be used for those currently struggling and affected. If money is just thrown around like this, I think it is a crime," maintaining her opposition.

Kwon Eun-hee, floor leader of the People’s Party, which is pursuing a merger with the People Power Party, also said on a radio broadcast, "I do not understand at all the content of Lee’s agreement and the explanations he gave after reversing it." She criticized, "If there is one possible explanation, it might be that he visited some online communities and saw many posts demanding the nationwide disaster relief fund and reacted to them. I can only understand his actions at that level."

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