Jokuk to Yoon Seok-yeol: "Should people without means be allowed to choose even illegal food?"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk criticized Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate and former Prosecutor General, on the 1st for his remark implying that "poor people should be able to choose food worse than substandard food."

On the same day, Cho Kuk pointed out on his Facebook, "I missed the part where he said, 'Unless it causes illness or death, poor people should be able to choose food below substandard food,'" and shared a link to Yoon's interview video.

Earlier, on the 19th of last month, Yoon mentioned in an interview with a media outlet an anecdote about his father, economist Yoon Ki-jung, Professor Emeritus at Yonsei University, recommending Milton Friedman's book "Free to Choose" to him.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Yoon said, "My father advised me not to be one-sided and recommended this book," adding, "I was deeply impressed by it. So, until I became a research officer at the Central Investigation Department in 2006, and even after becoming a prosecutor, I kept carrying that book with me."

He continued, "Orders come down from above to crack down on this and that, but Friedman's book says you shouldn't enforce such crackdowns," explaining, "Enforcement means cutting off based on quality, cracking down on anything below a certain standard in criminal terms. But Friedman said that even below that, unless it causes illness or death, poor people should be allowed to choose and eat cheaper food."

Regarding this, former Minister Cho criticized, "According to Yoon Seok-yeol's economic philosophy, 'poor people' should be able to 'choose' to eat 'food worse than substandard food,' and should also be able to 'choose' to work '120 hours a week.'"

Meanwhile, Milton Friedman, the author of the book "Free to Choose," is a representative figure advocating for small government, promoting the theory that the economy should be entrusted to the market rather than the government.