Lee Jae-myung: "It Should Have Been at Least 1 Million Won Per Person... Pushing for Nationwide Disaster Relief Fund"

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, announced plans to provide COVID-19 disaster relief funds to all citizens.

On the morning of the 29th, after attending the 'Step-by-Step Daily Recovery Review Meeting' held at the National Assembly, Lee told reporters, "The scale of government support is not large compared to the damage suffered by all citizens, so additional support is necessary as a form of consolation and compensation for economic recovery and the dedication and cooperation of the people."

He continued, "At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I mentioned household support and disaster relief funds or disaster basic income amounts. I said it would be at least 1 million won per person," adding, "It is clear that the scale of our national support funds compared to GDP is far smaller than that of other countries."

He said, "We need to revive the economy, and the pain of frontline self-employed workers is very severe, so it is too early to specify detailed amounts," and "We are discussing together what the appropriate scale should be," but emphasized, "It is clear that a significant increase and additional support are necessary."

Regarding securing funding, Lee said, "We will try to secure as much as possible during this regular National Assembly session and consider methods including promptly implementing the next supplementary budget to find feasible ways."

Regarding the COVID-19 loss compensation policy for small business owners and self-employed individuals, he said, "The minimum amount is 100,000 won, which is indeed very insufficient for actual loss compensation," and added, "We are also consulting with the party on raising the minimum threshold."

He added, "Although not subject to direct administrative orders, about 800,000 to 1 million businesses and self-employed people in industries suffering comparable damage exist. Support measures equivalent to loss compensation should also be devised for this group."

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