Lee Jae-myung: "Disaster Basic Income Will Also Be Provided to 860,000 Bucheon Citizens"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (center) held an emergency press conference at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government briefing room on the 24th, announcing that 10,000 KRW in disaster basic income will be provided to 13.26 million residents in the province.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has decided to provide 1 million KRW per person in disaster basic income to 860,000 Bucheon citizens starting from April 1, following Bucheon City's change of stance after initially opposing the disaster basic income.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 26th that since Bucheon Mayor Jang Deok-cheon withdrew his refusal to accept the disaster basic income, the Gyeonggi Province-type disaster basic income will naturally be paid to Bucheon as well.

A provincial official explained, "Bucheon did not express opinions during the consultation phase but publicly opposed and rejected the matter that the province and the council officially announced through a press conference," adding, "Since disaster basic income requires urgent action, we had considered excluding municipalities that refused it first, but since Bucheon City changed its position, we will prepare to promptly provide disaster basic income to all 31 cities and counties."

Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung also stated on his social media (SNS) that "If the Bucheon mayor does not execute it, disaster basic income cannot be paid to Bucheon citizens. We cannot forcibly pay it against opposition, nor should we," criticizing, "Claims such as 'Why exclude 870,000 Bucheon citizens because of one word from the Bucheon mayor?' and 'This is an emotional act' disguised as media reports are reckless remarks denying representative democracy and disparaging Gyeonggi Province's crisis response."

The governor added, "I deeply regret the Bucheon citizens who experienced confusion while expecting the province's disaster basic income, and since the Bucheon mayor has changed his position and agreed to cooperate, we will naturally cooperate," further stating, "However, regarding the confusion caused by the structure, I hope the captain's efforts to prepare for the worst for the swift rescue of the majority of passengers, not the refusal of rescue by some passengers, will not be condemned as emotional bullying."

Earlier, on the 24th, Governor Lee announced that to overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, starting next month on the 1st, disaster basic income of 100,000 KRW per person will be paid once to 13.26 million Gyeonggi residents.

The Gyeonggi Province-type disaster basic income is a local currency that expires three months after the payment date. Since more than 1.3 trillion KRW will be circulated in neighborhood markets, it is expected to serve as a catalyst to revitalize the local economy struggling due to COVID-19.

The province is currently reviewing various payment methods to ensure that all residents can receive the Gyeonggi Province-type disaster basic income quickly and without confusion.