Choi Jae-hyung: "'People's Lives, People's Responsibility' Remarks Reflect Concerns Over Excessive State Intervention"

"Excessive Fiscal Spending is a Burden on Future Generations"

People Power Party's presidential primary candidate Choi Jae-hyung is attending the Good Morning Forum held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul on the 12th, delivering a greeting./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Choi Jae-hyung, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection and a presidential candidate of the People Power Party, clarified his controversial statement from the previous day, "The lives of the people should be the responsibility of the people," saying, "If the state’s involvement in individuals' lives becomes excessive, it could lead to controlling the lives of the people."

On the morning of the 12th, after holding a meeting at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Choi told reporters regarding the statement, "I meant that we should provide help to those citizens who truly need assistance."

He continued, "What is stipulated in the Constitution is fundamentally based on a market economy founded on freedom and creativity," explaining, "My intention was to point out excessive government intervention." He further elaborated, "I expressed concern that excessive fiscal spending, carried out under the premise of taking responsibility for the people's lives, could become a burden passed on to future generations and young people."

The problematic remark came during a lecture Choi gave the previous morning at the People Power Party’s freshman meeting, 'Myeongbulheojeon Bosuda.' During a Q&A session with lawmakers, in response to a question from Tae Young-ho, a People Power Party lawmaker, asking whether austerity policies should be implemented to create a sustainable country, Choi said, "One of the biggest problems with this government’s goals is the idea of taking responsibility for the lives of the people, which I think is a very dangerous notion," adding, "The lives of the people should be the responsibility of the people themselves; why should the government be responsible?"

He likened this system to the "North Korean system," saying, "The government’s role is to set the stage; that is what the government should do," and added, "I think government intervention in the private sector should be reduced." This can be interpreted as an argument for a "small government" approach, which aims to reduce the size of government, cut fiscal spending, and increase private sector autonomy.

As the controversy spread that day, Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker, criticized on Facebook, "Candidate Choi Jae-hyung, it is the president’s fundamental duty to take responsibility for the lives of the people," adding, "While the people themselves should also take responsibility for their lives, naturally, the government must also be responsible."

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