Lottery Fund Worth 1.7986 Trillion Won: Who Is It For?

Assemblyman Kim Young-sun, No Support for Disabled Entrepreneurship and Business Development This Year

People Power Party member Kim Young-sun. [Image source: Office of Kim Young-sun]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Song Jong-gu] Representative Kim Young-sun pointed out that the lottery fund’s purpose projects do not align with their original intent and are disproportionately focused on a specific gender.

On the 15th, at the full meeting of the Planning and Finance Committee, Representative Kim stated, “Support for the disabled and national veterans, which are the intended beneficiaries of the lottery fund, is not being provided, while excessive support is given to gender equality, which is a non-purpose project, indicating that the lottery fund is being operated in an excessively illegal manner.”

According to data confirmed by Representative Kim from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and others, among the public interest projects funded by the lottery fund amounting to 1.7986 trillion KRW, there was not a single project solely for the disabled, such as disabled entrepreneurship and business development, and support for national veterans accounted for only 2.1%.

On the other hand, approximately 467.339 billion KRW was allocated to the gender equality fund, a non-purpose project of the lottery fund, supporting about 26% of the lottery fund’s public interest projects.

Representative Kim pointed out that the absence of any projects for the disabled, which are the lottery fund’s intended beneficiaries, is problematic, and suggested to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Choo Kyung-ho that since job creation is the greatest welfare for the disabled, support should be provided for disabled entrepreneurship and business development to create jobs for the disabled.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Choo replied that he would discuss the proposal regarding disabled entrepreneurship and business development in depth.

Representative Kim said, “The lottery fund is a budget that must become a warm hope for the marginalized groups in our society, where the shadow of welfare is deeply cast,” and added, “As a member of the National Assembly’s Planning and Finance Committee, I will do my best to ensure that the lottery fund is not operated illegally and is used for supporting disabled entrepreneurship, business development, and welfare for national veterans.”

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