Lee Jae-myung "Government Shifts 20% of Disaster Relief Funds to Local Governments... Unacceptable"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, reaffirmed that apart from the government's 'Emergency Disaster Relief Fund,' 13.26 million Gyeonggi residents will receive a 'Gyeonggi Province-type Disaster Basic Income' of 100,000 KRW per person.

He also added that it is difficult to accept the government's request for local governments to bear 20% of the cost after promising to compensate for the advance payment of the emergency disaster relief fund through supplementary budgets.

On the night of the 30th, Governor Lee explained on Facebook, "The central government's emergency disaster relief fund, Gyeonggi Province's disaster basic income, and the disaster basic income of cities and counties within the province will be paid concurrently," adding, "For cities and counties within the province that provide disaster basic income, matching for the government support fund is not required, but cities and counties that have not introduced disaster basic income will have to meet the matching requirements demanded by the central government."

He first explained, "There is confusion about whether the government's emergency disaster relief fund and the disaster basic income of Gyeonggi Province and its cities and counties overlap, but it is not very complicated," adding, "Gyeonggi residents will receive 100,000 KRW each as Gyeonggi disaster basic income regardless of the government's emergency support fund."

He also added, "Residents living in cities and counties that provide disaster basic income will receive additional disaster basic income from their respective cities and counties."

However, Governor Lee pointed out, "It is difficult to accept that the central government, after encouraging disaster support by agreeing with the ruling party and government offices to advance disaster relief funds to local governments and compensate through supplementary budgets, now demands that local governments bear 20% of the central government's emergency disaster relief fund."

Furthermore, he predicted, "In addition to the Gyeonggi Province-type disaster basic income, in cities and counties within the province that provide selective support, it is expected that overlapping receipt of the city's or county's selective support and the central government's emergency disaster relief fund will be prohibited," adding, "In places that do not provide disaster basic income, residents will choose the larger amount between the government's emergency disaster relief fund and selective support."

Governor Lee stated, "The total amount of disaster basic income paid by Gyeonggi Province and its cities and counties and the central government's support fund has decreased compared to initial expectations due to the central government's demand for matching funds from metropolitan cities and basic cities and counties, contrary to the original promise to compensate the disaster relief fund advanced by the central government through supplementary budgets."

He also explained, "The difference according to the number of household members occurs because the disaster basic income is designed to be proportional to the number of household members, but the central government's support fund is designed so that the per-person support amount decreases as the number of household members increases."