Confessions of 'Imcha-in' Continue Between Ruling and Opposition in National Assembly Plenary Bill Debate
Earlier, Yoon Hee-sook's "I Am an Imcha-in" 5-Minute Speech Praised by Netizens
Yong Hye-in, a member of the Basic Income Party, is debating at the National Assembly plenary session on the afternoon of the 4th. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] During the bill debate held at the National Assembly plenary session, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties who took the podium confessed to being 'tenants,' regardless of their stance on the bill. This appears to be a reference to the remarks made by Yoon Heesook of the Future United Party, who delivered a so-called '5-minute speech' pointing out issues with the amendment to the Housing Lease Protection Act. However, some expressed concerns that the focus might be more on confessing lawmakers' poverty rather than engaging in serious policy discussions.
On the 4th, Yong Hyein of the Basic Income Party took the stage and began by saying, "I am a tenant," adding, "I have been married for three years and live in a villa in Eunpyeong with a newlywed couple's jeonse loan."
During her speech supporting the partial amendment to the Comprehensive Real Estate Tax Act presented that day, Yong addressed the Future United Party lawmakers, asking, "Who are the people dying because of the taxes you talk about? Are they the wealthy real estate owners paying the top 1% comprehensive real estate tax, or those who own houses for speculative purposes and live in jeonse homes worth 1 billion won?"
She continued, "The beginning of solving real estate inequality is simple: controlling housing prices," and emphasized, "I do not think the real estate tax laws presented today are a definite answer to controlling housing prices, but the reason I, as a tenant, voted in favor is because I believe this measure will be the start of 'politics that control housing prices,' and it should be."
Meanwhile, Shin Donggeun of the Democratic Party of Korea stated, "I am a real tenant paying a 30 million won deposit and 700,000 won monthly rent," adding, "Because the jeonse deposit is high, I live on monthly rent. By next year, I will become a homeowner. Buying a house at age 60."
On the other hand, Kim Jinae of the Open Democratic Party said, "It's okay to live as a tenant," emphasizing the need to protect tenants by saying, "As long as there is no fear of eviction and the monthly rent does not rise too much."
On the afternoon of the 4th, the partial amendment to the Income Tax Act was passed at the National Assembly plenary session.
The 'tenant confessions' continued among opposition lawmakers as well. Kim Seongyo of the United Party explained, "I am a native who has never moved or changed my address even once in 60 years," adding, "My late father lived his whole life as a poor farmer, and I started as a low-ranking public official and have come to stand here."
He criticized, "The Democratic Party tries to create an ideal society sitting at their desks, ignoring reality without even minimal effort," and said, "The damage is directly falling on ordinary people."
Netizens' reactions to the debate were mixed. Some praised the hope that a mature culture of policy debate would settle in the National Assembly, while others criticized it as a 'poverty confession' aimed at empathizing with ordinary citizens.
One netizen commented, "It seems they are seriously engaging in parliamentary activities rather than resorting to reckless street protests or physical fights."
On the other hand, another netizen wrote on Twitter, "Lawmakers earning 150 million won annually seem to be trying to prove their poverty," and criticized, "Instead of trying to show they are tenants, shouldn't they focus more on policy research?"
Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the United Future Party, is speaking out against the Lease Protection Act at the National Assembly plenary session on the 30th of last month. / Photo by Yonhap News
These tenant confessions by lawmakers from both parties appear to reference the remarks made by Yoon during the free speech session at the National Assembly plenary on the 30th of last month, where she opened by saying, "I am a tenant," and delivered a five-minute speech.
At that time, Yoon pointed out the side effects of the amended Housing Lease Protection Act passed by the National Assembly, saying tearfully, "When I saw the passed bill, I thought, 'In four years, I will inevitably have to move into monthly rent; there will be no more jeonse.' That is my concern."
Yoon's speech became a hot topic on social networking services (SNS) such as YouTube and Facebook, receiving praise from some netizens. Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joongkwon also commented, "Finally, it's done properly," adding, "The criticism is rational and emotionally represents the feelings of a significant portion of the public."
Meanwhile, at this plenary session, a total of 18 bills, including the so-called 'three real estate laws'?the Comprehensive Real Estate Tax Act, Income Tax Act, and Corporate Tax Act amendments?were presented and all passed.
Among these, 14 bills, including 11 related to real estate, were led by the Democratic Party, while the United Party attended the plenary but did not participate in the voting.
The amendments to the three real estate laws include: raising the tax rate for owners of three or more houses or two houses in regulated areas from the current maximum of 3.2% to 6.0% by tax base bracket; increasing the capital gains tax rate on houses held for less than two years and on houses owned by multiple homeowners in regulated areas; and raising the additional corporate tax rate on housing transfers held by corporations from the current 10% to 20%, among other provisions.
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