Kim Du-kwan: "Yoon, Are You an Elementary Student?... Even Middle Schoolers Know Why Taxes Are Collected" Direct Hit

"'Why eat food that will just become waste anyway?' Study more"

Kim Du-gwan, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Kim Du-kwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol by calling him an "elementary school candidate" and telling him to "study a bit." This was in response to Yoon's remark regarding the nationwide disaster relief fund issue, where he said, "If you are going to collect taxes and distribute them, it is best not to collect them at all."

On the 15th, Kim posted on Facebook, "I am dumbfounded by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks. Even middle school students know why taxes are collected, but I cannot trust an opposition presidential candidate who lacks such basic common sense," he said.

He explained, "The state, households, and businesses interact in a triangular relationship, with taxes, wages, and public goods moving within that triangle. This is taught in middle school." He added, "In this process, the state performs an income redistribution function. Taxes are fundamentally designed so that those with more wealth and income pay more, but the public goods supplied by the state through taxes are used by everyone."

He continued, "If more is collected and more is distributed, this redistribution function becomes stronger, but in our country, less is collected and less is given, so the function is weak." He criticized, "How can one talk about the future of the Republic of Korea with such a simple and ignorant perspective like 'Why eat food that will just become waste anyway,' without any common-sense understanding of the basic workings of the national economy?"

He then said, "If I call him a 'middle school presidential candidate,' middle school students might protest, so I guess I have to call him an 'elementary school presidential candidate' instead." He concluded, "Political hopefuls who only memorize legal texts will never be chosen by the people. Study for nine more years and come back."

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