Na Kyung-won on 'Loan Forgiveness' Controversy: "Fully Understand the Presidential Office's Concerns"

"Emphasizing that politicians' strategic use is inappropriate"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Na Kyung-won, Vice Chair of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, expressed understanding of the Presidential Office's concerns regarding the Hungarian-style 'loan forgiveness' policy proposal. However, she criticized some politicians for inappropriately exploiting the issue for political gain.

On the 8th, Vice Chair Na stated on her Facebook, "I fully understand the Presidential Office's expression of concern," adding, "The process of completing and deciding any government policy is never simple."

Na Kyung-won, Vice Chairperson of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, is holding the committee's New Year press briefing at the Korea Press Center on the 5th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

She continued, "I only mentioned the idea as something that could be applied to mortgage loans for home purchases or jeonse (key money deposit) loans," clarifying, "It has not yet been finalized as a policy, nor is there an immediate plan to implement it."

However, she said, "Given that the low birthrate crisis is more severe here than in any other country, and that the housing burden on young people is particularly heavy in our case, I believe it is a foreign example worth considering from a practical standpoint."

Earlier, on the 5th, Vice Chair Na referred to Hungary's childbirth encouragement policy during a Ministry of Health and Welfare press briefing. The policy involves providing a 40 million won loan upon marriage, converting it to interest-free upon the birth of the first child, and forgiving part or all of the principal upon the birth of the second and third children, respectively.

In response, the Presidential Office drew a clear line. On the 6th, Ahn Sang-hoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Presidential Office, said in a press briefing, "There is a significant difference from the policy direction of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."

Meanwhile, Vice Chair Na urged, "Please refrain from framing this issue within political interests rather than policy, and from baseless misinterpretations based on speculation," adding, "It is highly inappropriate for some political figures to exploit this matter politically, being absorbed in calculations of advantages and disadvantages related to my potential candidacy in the party convention."

She also added, "In any case, I regret that this has caused misunderstandings."

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