Yoo Seung-min: "Those who see the tears of small business owners... Fighting endlessly over 80-90% support"

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] Yoo Seung-min, a former lawmaker and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, criticized the government and ruling party on the 11th, saying, "Are those who can see the tears of small business owners really fighting all day over whether it's 80% or 90%?"

On the same day, Yoo wrote on his Facebook, "Starting tomorrow, social distancing in the metropolitan area will be strengthened to level 4," and added, "I have proposed abolishing the policy of giving 250,000 won per person to the bottom 80% income earners to stimulate consumption and instead changing it to a supplementary budget focused on supporting self-employed and small business owners."

He continued, "Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun criticized my demand as a 'political approach by someone who knows the economy to delay the swift processing of the supplementary budget,' and asked, 'Can't you see the tears of small business owners?'" He said, "Since I know the economy, I will ask the opposite."

Yoo said, "If it is the bottom 80% income group, the annual income for a four-person household is 105.36 million won (8.78 million won per month)," and questioned, "Isn't the Democratic Party and Moon Jae-in government, which intends to give 1 million won to such households, the ones who cannot see the tears of small business owners?"

He explained, "During an urgent war, the proper and precise response of a field commander is to break through the supply line to the frontline where food has run out first," and added, "It is the government's obvious duty to create a supplementary budget again after failing in quarantine and the supplementary budget."

Finally, he said, "Even after one year and six months since the outbreak of COVID-19, not properly grasping the losses of small business owners and self-employed is the height of incompetence," and criticized, "The government does not reflect on its mistakes and only tries to cover up its shame, so it does not consider resubmitting the supplementary budget."

Earlier, former Prime Minister Chung had pointed out to Yoo, who insisted on a full review of the second supplementary budget, saying, "Can't you see the tears of small business owners?" and "Is it appropriate for someone who knows the economy to take a political approach that delays the swift processing of the supplementary budget under the pretext of helping small business owners?"