Will Ahn's Pledges Like 'COVID-19 Overcome Lottery Issuance' Become the Next Government's Basic Framework for Disease Control?

Ahn Cheol-soo Transition Team, Which Advocated for COVID-19 Special Account, Also Serving as COVID-19 Emergency Response Special Committee Chair

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] As Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People’s Party, takes charge of the basic framework for the next government’s COVID-19 response, attention is focused on whether the People’s Party’s presidential election pledges?such as compensation for the establishment of a special COVID-19 account and the restructuring of the quarantine system?will be reflected in the new administration’s policies. The People Power Party has expressed its intention to secure funding through expenditure restructuring and government bond issuance instead of creating a special account, setting the stage for a power struggle during the transition committee’s discussions.

According to the People’s Party’s COVID-19 overcoming pledges announced on the 14th, the party plans to establish a special account and secure 7 trillion won through a 10% value-added tax and a 10% individual consumption tax, 10 trillion won through government expenditure restructuring, and 3 trillion won and 5 trillion won respectively through natural government workforce restructuring and the sunset of tax exemptions. Additionally, the party included a pledge to raise 1 trillion won by issuing a COVID-19 eradication lottery (tentative name).

Chairman Ahn has been committed to establishing a special account since his presidential candidacy. At the end of last year, he emphasized, “The political sphere has repeatedly sought support measures through one-time supplementary budgets whenever new COVID-19 outbreaks occurred, but it was like pouring water into a bottomless jar,” and urged, “Let’s establish a temporary ‘COVID-19 special account’ to secure funding stably.”

The pledge is gaining renewed attention as he assumes the role of chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee. This is because the possibility of discussing concrete measures to implement the pledge within the transition committee has increased.

Within the People’s Party, there is a view that the likelihood of realizing the pledge has increased as Chairman Ahn is directly overseeing the special committee. Since overcoming COVID-19 is a major policy goal of the next government, it is interpreted that Ahn’s leading role as one pillar of the joint government has been guaranteed. During the candidate unification process, President-elect Yoon and Chairman Ahn promised, “The national unity government is a ‘quarantine government,’” and pledged, “We will overcome the pandemic with scientific quarantine, not political quarantine, and protect people’s livelihoods.” At that time, both sides agreed to coordinate through discussions if there were any differences regarding the pledges.

Within the People Power Party, the general view is that there is little difference between President-elect Yoon’s and Chairman Ahn’s quarantine-related pledges. Professor Jeong Ki-seok, head of the COVID-19 Crisis Response Committee of the People Power Party and a respiratory medicine specialist at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, said, “There are many parts where the (two parties’) pledges coincide,” and “There is nothing standing at opposite poles.” However, he is cautious about establishing a special account. Professor Jeong stated, “That part needs to be discussed later through government and party consultations,” expressing a cautious stance. Another official from the People Power Party showed a negative reaction to the special account, saying, “Support is also possible through the general account.”

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