DP "Cutting 'Youth Budget' and Taking Credit with Lee Jae-myung's Budget"

People Power Party Supreme Council Unified Criticism
Among 302.8 Billion Won Youth Budget, 238.9 Billion Won Reduced Led by Democratic Party
Lee Proposes New 290 Billion Won Youth Pass Budget

The People Power Party strongly criticized the Democratic Party of Korea on the 20th, claiming that about 80% of the 'youth budget' prepared by the government was unilaterally cut by the Democratic Party. They also called for self-reflection, labeling the Democratic Party as a 'kkondae party' (old-fashioned authoritarian party) in relation to the recent banners that seemed to belittle the younger generation.

Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the People Power Party, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, "The Democratic Party, which repeatedly exerted force in the National Assembly whenever possible, is once again repeating its chronic behavior of arbitrarily cutting and adding to next year's budget and pushing it through by force."

According to the People Power Party, out of the 302.8 billion KRW youth-related budget in next year's budget proposal, 238.9 billion KRW was collectively reduced under the leadership of the Democratic Party. Notably, budgets related to employment support such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 'Youth Employment Career and Work Experience Support' and the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Youth Mental Health Support Project' were cut. On the other hand, the Democratic Party included the 'Youth Pass' budget (290 billion KRW), which provides 30,000 KRW for youth transportation costs, proposed by Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is entering the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 17th for a meeting with Innovation Committee Chairman In Yo-han. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Leader Kim said, "In particular, the Democratic Party's cuts to the youth budget are at a serious level," adding, "The Democratic Party is also insisting on a full cut of the budget for building an integrated youth policy platform that provides various policies tailored to young people, and the youth policy promotion budget, which allows youth voices to be reflected in housing and transportation policies, was also reduced under the Democratic Party's leadership."

Kim explained that the reason the Democratic Party cut the youth-related budget was to allocate the budget according to the desires of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. He said, "They are recklessly filling the gaps they cut out with Lee Jae-myung's vanity budgets," and added, "The government did not allocate a budget for Lee's promotional local currency, but illegally increased it by as much as 705.3 billion KRW without government consent." He also criticized, "Even during discussions on restoring research and development budgets with both ruling and opposition parties, they insisted on cutting nuclear power-related R&D budgets, showing a double standard. The Democratic Party shamelessly slashes the budget that reflects the Yoon Seok-youl administration's national philosophy and tries to fill it with Lee's vanity budgets."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, also pointed out Lee's Youth Pass budget, saying, "Instead of the budget proposal presented by the government, which includes employment support, overseas training, and career experience, the Democratic Party distributed the budget under the name of transportation cost support," and criticized, "Trying to win votes instead of helping young people pioneer their own future is an arrogant attitude that underestimates youth intelligence."

Criticism also continued regarding the banners recently displayed by the Democratic Party for promotional purposes. Over the past weekend, the Democratic Party put up banners with phrases such as "I don't know politics, but I want to live well" and "I don't know the economy, but I want to have a lot of money," which led to controversy over belittling youth.

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Floor leader Yoon responded, "This is evidence that the Democratic Party views the younger generation as a selfish generation indifferent to the community," adding, "Over the past few years, the youth generation has not only been aware of politics but has actively led political change." He continued, "As seen in the 'Cho Kuk scandal' and the 'Incheon International Airport Corporation regularization scandal,' the youth generation clearly presented a rational society where fairness and common sense are upheld as a goal, not a world where only I live well, gaining support from all generations."

Supreme Council member Kim Byung-min also criticized at the meeting, saying, "The Democratic Party's banner saying 'I don't know the economy, but I want to make money' is a secondary harm to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, who traded cryptocurrency," and added, "Young people are neither ignorant of the economy and politics nor deserve to be stigmatized as a selfish generation."