Election Slogan: "Actions Match Words, Ahn Cheol-soo!"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The People’s Party announced that the slogans for the April 15 general election have been finalized as "Always by the People’s Side," "Words and Actions in Accord, Ahn Cheol-soo!", and "#Proportional #People’sParty #Together_with_the_People."
Jang Ji-hoon, deputy spokesperson of the People’s Party, told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting on the 27th that regarding the formation of the election countermeasures committee, "We have proposed Professor Han Sang-jin, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, as the head of the election committee, and it is highly likely that Professor Han will take the position," adding, "A decision will be made within today."
On the same day, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, attended the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly via video conference and urged, “Please consider a disaster relief payment plan consisting of 100,000 KRW in cash and 150,000 KRW in goods, totaling 250,000 KRW per month, to be paid over four months, amounting to 1 million KRW, as a special livelihood measure to maintain basic living for those pushed to the brink.”
Ahn explained, “According to analyses by experts working at national research institutes, the recipients are estimated to be about 27.5 million people, including small business owners, micro-entrepreneurs, daily workers, non-regular workers, special-type workers, platform workers, and beneficiaries of free school meals, with an estimated budget requirement of 27 trillion KRW.”
Ahn said, “Small business owners and micro-entrepreneurs, who were already struggling due to income-led growth policies, are now facing a harsh storm brought on by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Companies are in an emergency, and ordinary people are at their wits’ end,” and criticized, “The 50 trillion KRW that the government claims to have released is invisible to desperate citizens. Even if it is visible, they say it is inaccessible.”
He added, “Money must circulate in local commercial districts. Please consider a plan to pay 10% of the wages of all public officials, public institutions, and public enterprise employees in local currency or Onnuri gift certificates with a three-month usage validity period,” and “Please also consider raising the simplified taxation threshold (Value-Added Tax Act amendment) to 100 million KRW annually and temporarily exempting VAT for sales under 200 million KRW.”
He continued, “Please consider ways to reduce or exempt essential living expenses such as health insurance premiums, electricity bills, and water bills for vulnerable households, small business owners, and micro-entrepreneurs to provide practical cash support effects.”
Ahn proposed, “I suggest sorting out the 512 trillion KRW main budget for 2020 to identify funds that cannot be used due to COVID-19 and adjusting the items to prepare a supplementary budget for purposes such as livelihood support policies for ordinary citizens.”
Ahn emphasized, “What I am proposing is not populism that indiscriminately gives money to all citizens, but rather to support small business owners and ordinary people who are truly pushed to the limit, using local currency and Onnuri gift certificates with specified goods and usage periods, so that the support is effective for the recipients and practically benefits small business owners and the local economy.”
He added, “Disaster support should not be universal but rather focused on major affected sectors and groups, which is more rational and appropriate,” and said, “The government authorities must be facing many challenges. However, policies must be effective on the ground, and time is of the essence now.”
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