Lee Visits National Assembly: "Need for Quarantine Transition... I Will Become the Supreme Commander to Overcome the Crisis"

Ruling Party Leadership Holds Emergency Omicron Review Meeting... In the Afternoon, Visits Self-Employed and Small Business Owners to Prepare Livelihood Measures

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the National Assembly to review the Omicron response system with the ruling party leadership. This move came just one day after President Moon Jae-in personally chaired a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting for the first time in six months, judging the current situation as serious. In the afternoon, Lee also planned to meet with small business owners to discuss support measures.

On the morning of the 8th, Lee attended an emergency review meeting on Omicron response held by the party’s Special Committee on COVID-19 Crisis Response at the National Assembly, stating, "Omicron is showing different patterns from previous viruses, so countermeasures must change."

Lee’s visit to the National Assembly was decided within half a day after President Moon described the situation as "serious and unpredictable in terms of the number of confirmed cases" and urged a whole-of-government effort to prevent severe cases and deaths. Lee, who had already met with the Korean Medical Association to emphasize the need for a flexible quarantine system, had promised sufficient support and compensation for a system centered on local clinics.

After receiving reports on the trends of Omicron confirmed cases, severe patients, and deaths, Lee argued, "The existing quarantine system must be made flexible and smart." He pointed out, "For small business owners who are suffering significant damage, easing 24-hour quarantine restrictions for those who have received the third vaccine dose is essential," adding, "The fatality rate is dropping significantly and infections are widespread, so it is questionable whether the current measures have decisive effects, especially when economic activities in small business districts are being severely restricted."

This suggests that Lee advocates for a quarantine approach that thoroughly establishes medical and quarantine systems while allowing freer activities, essentially proposing a pinpoint strategy that removes risks as they arise rather than imposing lockdowns.

Lee also praised his own leadership during his time as governor of Gyeonggi Province, citing the first administrative order on mask-wearing and strong administrative actions against Shincheonji as leading nationwide quarantine efforts. He continued, "I will become the supreme commander to overcome this crisis," and pledged, "I will successfully launch the 4th Democratic government and competently overcome the economic and social crises caused by COVID-19."

In the afternoon, he planned to meet with representatives of nationwide self-employed and small business organizations to address livelihood issues. This meeting is intended to gather opinions on compensation for small business losses, with discussions likely to include operating hour restrictions and more specific support measures. Given Lee’s statement the previous day regarding support plans for small business owners and the self-employed?"The government will take full responsibility for debts incurred during the (COVID-19 quarantine) process through strong measures"?there is a possibility he will propose increasing the supplementary budget for broader and more substantial support.

Lee is also expected to revisit the idea of an emergency financial and economic order for "full compensation of damages." Previously, he promised, "If I am elected and the supplementary budget is insufficient, I will issue an emergency financial order to provide support exceeding 50 trillion won as promised to the people." Lee’s position is that the government and nation should fully compensate for losses that certain small business owners and self-employed individuals have disproportionately borne, arguing that the sacrifices of a specific minority must be completely reimbursed by the state.

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