Discussion on 2nd Disaster Relief Fund... Ruling Party "Payment to All Citizens" vs Opposition "Selective Payment Needed"

與 "Disaster Relief Funds Unavoidable... Selective Payment Is Discrimination"
野 "Selective Payment Needed... Should Focus on Vulnerable Groups"

Democratic Party spokesperson Heo Yoon-jung is announcing the results of the party member voting at the National Assembly Communication Hall press conference on May 8. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Amid the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), discussions on the disbursement of a second round of emergency disaster relief funds have begun in the political sphere. However, since the opposition party is advocating for selective distribution of the relief funds, coordination between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to be necessary.

The Democratic Party of Korea has stated that it is considering a plan to distribute the emergency disaster relief funds before Chuseok.

On the 23rd, Democratic Party spokesperson Heo Yoon-jung, after a briefing on current issues at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, told reporters, "There are several scenarios depending on the speed of (COVID-19) spread. The scale and regions of (COVID-19 spread) must be carefully considered," adding, "If people cannot spend the relief funds, it is meaningless. We are also reviewing discussions on whether online purchases are possible depending on the method of distribution."

She emphasized, "Currently, the best plan is to distribute the relief funds before Chuseok to see the effect."

Within the Democratic Party, there is skepticism about the selective distribution advocated by the United Future Party.

Former lawmaker Kim Boo-kyum, who is running for the Democratic Party leadership, wrote on his Facebook on the same day, "If social distancing reaches level 3, the second disaster relief fund is inevitable," and proposed, "Since it is not feasible to allocate funds from the annual budget every year, let's legislate the establishment of a 'National Disaster Fund' this time."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung also argued on his Facebook post titled "Selective distribution of disaster relief funds is unreasonable discrimination. Why suddenly selective welfare after advocating universal welfare?" that disaster relief funds should be distributed to all citizens.

Governor Lee stated, "This argument (for selective distribution of disaster relief funds) misunderstands the nature of the relief funds, violates the constitutional principle of equality, causes division and conflict among the people, and abandons the universal welfare line upheld by the Democratic Party to align with the conservative opposition party's selective welfare line."

He continued, "Disaster relief funds have a welfare aspect to compensate for household economic difficulties, but essentially, they are economic policies to overcome the economic crisis caused by disasters and revive the national economy," and pointed out, "It is against the constitutional principle of equality and discriminates against higher-income earners without reasonable grounds to exclude those who have contributed more to the funding and only support those with low or no contribution."

Professor Choi Bae-geun of Konkuk University, who served as co-representative of the Democratic Party's proportional representation party, the Together Citizens' Party, in the last general election, also voiced support through his Facebook on the same day, saying, "I oppose selective distribution of the second disaster relief fund."

Professor Choi criticized, "Taxes are basically progressive, so the burden on high-income earners is higher. Therefore, disaster relief funds paid to high-income earners are not free," adding, "Selective support is not only an unrealistic claim but also an inefficient measure that wastes time and social energy, as happened during the first support."

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, is speaking at an emergency countermeasure meeting related to COVID-19 held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. From the left, Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader; Kim Jong-in; Shin Sang-jin, Party COVID-19 Countermeasure Special Committee Chairman.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The United Future Party expressed willingness to cooperate in distributing the second disaster relief fund but insisted on the necessity of selective distribution.

At the COVID-19 emergency countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd, the United Future Party stated, "The situation is more urgent than during the (first) outbreak. We must actively consider budget support such as disaster relief funds and supplementary budgets."

Kim Jong-in, the United Future Party's emergency committee chairman, said on the same day, "Since COVID-19 is newly spreading, the government will assess the economic impact, and based on that assessment, the recipients will be determined," emphasizing, "It must be given to those who really need it."

Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye urged in a briefing, "There must be people in urgent need, so I don't understand why the government is not speeding up disaster relief funds or supplementary budgets," and called, "Please prioritize those whose livelihoods are affected, such as self-employed and small business owners."

Former lawmaker Shin Sang-jin, appointed as the United Future Party's special committee chairman for COVID-19 countermeasures, also raised the necessity of selective distribution, saying, "The second disaster relief fund should focus on vulnerable groups."

Shin said, "Although all citizens are victims of COVID-19, I think disaster relief funds should primarily be sufficiently provided to those who have suffered greater damage," but added, "If there is fiscal capacity, distribution to many people can also be considered."