Regarding the 'Abolition of Unemployment Benefits' Claim... Democratic Party: "Arrogance and Violence of the Powerful"

"Cannot Agree with the Call to Abolish Unemployment Benefits"
Opposition Leadership Steps Up with Strong Criticism

The Democratic Party of Korea directly criticized the People Power Party's remarks on 'abolishing unemployment benefits' as "truly pathetic." The party leadership stated that these comments were mocking and belittling unemployment benefit recipients and expressed that they could not agree with the abolition of unemployment benefits.

On the 14th, at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, leader Lee Jae-myung said, "Workers receive unemployment benefits from the contributions they pay themselves, but it is hard to erase the thought that the government and ruling party treat it as if they are giving alms." He added, "Seeing the pathetic remarks insulting unemployment benefit recipients by saying they will lower the minimum level of unemployment benefits or even abolish them, I doubt whether this government and ruling party are truly a government and ruling party for the people."

He continued, "The responsibility of politics is to take care of the difficult lives of the people, especially when the economy and people's livelihoods are tough, so I cannot understand why they would disparage even the systems designed to overcome these difficult situations and insult those who benefit from them."

Earlier, on the 12th, the People Power Party's Special Committee on Labor Reform cited the reversal phenomenon between the post-tax minimum wage and the minimum amount of unemployment benefits as grounds for 'reducing or abolishing the minimum unemployment benefit' during a public hearing on 'Improvement of the Unemployment Benefit System.' At that time, Park Dae-chul, the policy chief of the People Power Party, pointed out, "There is a contradictory situation where unemployment benefits are higher than the post-tax monthly wage earned by working." In a back briefing, he also mentioned that the term 'syrup benefits' should not be used to describe unemployment benefits.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, floor leader Park Kwang-on strongly criticized, saying, "At the public hearing hosted by the government and ruling party, the unemployment benefit system was called 'syrup benefits.'" He added, "They mocked those receiving unemployment benefits and insulted and belittled young and female job seekers and contract workers." He continued, "This is neither proper conduct toward citizens receiving unemployment benefits nor basic human decency. To mock and insult citizens who are suffering from lack of jobs instead of comforting them and feeling sorry is the arrogance and violence of those in power."

Floor leader Park said, "Unemployment is a social disaster. If there is some moral hazard among a few, it should be dealt with accordingly, and the system should be supplemented." He added, "Instead of mocking, the right attitude is to show efforts to create good jobs." He then refuted opinions on reducing or abolishing unemployment benefits, emphasizing, "We clearly state that the Democratic Party and the people can never agree to attempts to dismantle the framework of the system."

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