Criticism of Being "Small-Minded"... Lee Jae-myung Says "I Will Be a Bowl for the Common People Rather Than a Large Vessel"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is holding a press conference related to the novel coronavirus infection at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, last August. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who has been continuing the debate on local currency, responded on the 18th to Joo Jin-hyung, a Supreme Council Member of the Open Democratic Party, who described him as "having a small capacity," by saying, "I would choose a small bowl for the majority of ordinary people rather than a large bowl for a few vested interests."

In a post on his Facebook that day, Governor Lee said, "If it is considered 'having a small capacity' to sternly reprimand those who, against their mission, defend a small number of economic vested interests and engage in politics rather than research, on behalf of the residents, I will endure it," expressing this view.

Earlier, Governor Lee strongly criticized the Korea Institute of Public Finance (KIPF), which released a report stating that "local currency is ineffective in revitalizing the local economy," calling it a "deep-rooted evil to be eradicated" and a "foolish national research institute that baselessly attacks government policies."

He continued, "A national research institute, which should be devoted to objective research, is ignoring the sales transfer effect and presenting only distorted results that the regional transfer effect converges to zero, thereby providing grounds to block the issuance of local currency and attacking it as a waste of budget for political purposes by local politicians," adding, "national research institutes that defend a small number of vested interests against government policies are indeed deep-rooted evils that must disappear."

Joo Jin-hyung, Supreme Council Member of the Open Democratic Party. Photo by Yonhap News

In response to Governor Lee's criticism of KIPF, Joo Jin-hyung, a Supreme Council Member of the Open Democratic Party known as an economic expert, said, "It's a very ridiculous story," and pointed out, "(The report) is not making an extremely unreasonable claim that anyone reading it would find absurd."

In an interview with KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strong Current Affairs' that day, Council Member Joo said, "Seeing (Governor Lee) get so upset over the research institute's report makes me think he has a small capacity," and added, "I want to ask whether he means that national research institutes cannot make critical comments about government policies just because they are national research institutes. From the perspective of researchers, such comments are acceptable to that extent."