"Yoon, Foreigners 'Spoon' into Health Insurance"... Democratic Party Calls It "Nationalistic Propaganda" Despite Annual Surplus of Billions

Yoon Seok-yeol's Pledge to Resolve Foreigners' Health Insurance on the 30th of Last Month
Democratic Party: "Foreigners' Health Insurance Generated a Surplus of 1.5595 Trillion Won Over 4 Years"
"What Is Needed Is System Improvement, Not Discrimination or Hatred Against Foreigners"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Democratic Party of Korea criticized Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, for his pledge to resolve the foreigner health insurance issue as "jingoistic agitation." The Democratic Party emphasized that the foreigner health insurance system has generated a surplus worth hundreds of billions of won and that what is needed is not exclusion of foreigners but system improvement.

On the 1st, Jeon Yong-gi, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, criticized Yoon’s pledge, saying, "I hope he stops the anachronistic jingoistic agitation."

Earlier, on the 30th, Yoon stated on social media (SNS), "I will solve the foreigner health insurance problem where foreigners just put their spoon on the table well prepared by the people," adding, "While there should be no unreasonable discrimination against foreigners who pay health insurance premiums properly, urgent measures that align with public sentiment, such as strengthening the registration requirements for dependents and preventing identity theft, are necessary."

Regarding this, spokesperson Jeon explained, "The financial balance of foreigner health insurance has recorded a surplus of about 1.5595 trillion won over four years since 2017," and said, "Yoon’s claim that foreigners just put their spoon on the table is not true."

He continued, "Since the mandatory subscription system for foreigners and overseas Koreans was implemented in July 2019, there was a surplus of 365.1 billion won in 2019 and 571.5 billion won in 2020." This indicates that the health insurance finances have actually improved due to the foreigner health insurance system.

Spokesperson Jeon pointed out, "It is true that there are cases of unfair or excessive use of health insurance causing public frustration," but "this is not a matter of nationality. Even looking at the cases, there is no difference between nationals and foreigners." This means that the problem lies more with the health insurance system itself than with the foreigner health insurance system. In this regard, he stated, "What is needed is system improvement, not exclusion or discrimination against foreigners," and "In that sense, we express deep concern and regret over Yoon Seok-yeol’s claims that promote discrimination and hatred against foreigners."