Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Subscription Savings Account' Remark Another Slip? ... Explanation Cites "Late Employment, Marriage, and Frequent Moving"

Yoon Seok-yeol, a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's presidential primary, is preparing for a debate at the 2nd broadcast debate of the People Power Party's 20th presidential candidate election held at ASSA Studio in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 23rd. 2021.9.23 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate and former Prosecutor General, has sparked controversy by saying he never opened a housing subscription savings account because "I didn't have a house," despite announcing a pledge to award extra points for military service members in the housing subscription system. This statement can be interpreted as contradicting the purpose of the subscription system designed to help people win housing allocations.

On the 23rd, during the second People Power Party presidential candidate debate, Yoon responded this way to former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min's question, "Have you ever opened a housing subscription savings account?"

On that day, Yoo pointed out the similarity between Yoon's pledge to grant 5 extra points for military service members in the housing subscription system and his own pledge, saying, "If it's a good pledge, it can be copied, but I wonder if you really understand that pledge." Yoon replied, and Yoo even retorted, "If you don't have a house, you should rather open one."

As criticism arose suggesting Yoon's remarks showed a lack of understanding of the subscription system, Yoon's campaign quickly issued a clarification. On the 24th, the campaign released a statement explaining, "He was in his mid-30s with a job, living with his parents at their home while taking care of them, and he got married after turning 50, so he was not interested in housing subscriptions," adding, "Frequent moves to various regions due to his job were also among the reasons he did not pay attention to it."

However, this is not the first time Yoon's remarks have caused issues. Since his political declaration, he has consistently been embroiled in controversies. From remarks about '120-hour workweeks' and 'contaminated food' to more recent comments about 'manual labor,' he has earned the nickname 'one controversy a day.'