Lee Jung-mi "We Must Dismantle the Presidential Cartel That Politicizes Disasters"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's statement that "subsidies for interest and corruption cartels should be abolished and redirected to flood recovery and damage compensation" was criticized by Lee Jeong-mi, leader of the Justice Party, as "politicizing disasters."

On the 20th, during the executive meeting, Lee said, "Please only connect what should be connected. The people are in a desperate situation with their livelihoods collapsing, yet the president is using the disaster situation as a political attack tool against opponents."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

She added, "What is even more outrageous is the 'Yoon praise song' from the People Power Party," pointing out, "'It is a very sensible and correct statement,' they said, rushing to defend the president's reckless remarks without considering the context. However, there is not a single apology from the party that so quickly makes excuses for the inadequate disaster safety measures that worsened the damage."

Lee criticized, "The idea of treating subsidies as a reserve fund also calls into question the qualifications of the policy decision-makers," adding, "The president's notion of using funds for flood recovery as if taking money out of his pocket, without clearly calculating the amount or scope of the resources to be collected, is itself a product of irresponsibility."

She stated, "President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has engaged in political offensives even during disaster situations; the People Power Party, which insists 'even a deer is a horse' when it comes to the president's words; and the prosecutorial power that brands opposition forces as interest cartels?these are the very 'presidential cartels' that must disappear," urging, "The government and ruling party should stop presenting strange logic and immediately begin discussions on the supplementary budget, including the funds necessary for flood recovery."