Democratic Party Supreme Council Meeting on the 24th
Lee Strongly Criticizes: "Not the People Power Party, but the Power of Extreme Right"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, fiercely criticized, saying, "Conservatism is about upholding rational values," and added, "Isn't it more accurate to say that the People Power Party is an extreme right-wing party rather than a conservative one?"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. 2025.2.24 Photo by Kim Hyun-min
At the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido on the 24th, Lee stated about the ruling party, "Protecting vested interests is called reactionary, but now they have gone beyond reactionaries to protecting criminal groups and leaders of insurrection," and added, "This is not conservatism but extreme right-wing."
Lee continued his criticism, saying, "They get angry when called the 'Power of Insurrection,' but haven't they gone beyond insurrection to become the 'Power of Extreme Right'?" and "How can the Power of Extreme Right be responsible for our country's governance?" He added, "I really hope they come to their senses," and "Let's discuss policies rationally."
Furthermore, Lee urged for a swift agreement on pension reform, which was agreed to be discussed in working-level talks following the National Assembly consultation. He said, "At the last National Assembly consultation, we tried to reach a pension reform agreement with a progressive stance, but it was difficult to conclude due to the obstinacy of the People Power Party," and added, "It seems to be their specialty, but once something is agreed upon, it should generally be upheld."
He continued, "Clearly, the ruling party mentioned a 44% income replacement rate last year, and since the difference with the Democratic Party is only 1%, we said this could be negotiated," but "then Kwon Young-se, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, suddenly brought up 42%." Lee questioned, "Are they saying not to negotiate?" and criticized, "Is it acceptable to do politics like this?"
He also reiterated the Democratic Party's stance on the inheritance tax amendment discussions. Regarding the People Power Party's proposals to lower the top tax rate and abolish the premium valuation on shares held by major shareholders, Lee asked, "If these are pushed forward, is it really the ordinary people who will benefit?"
In particular, Lee said about the inheritance tax, "The top tax rate of 50% applies when inheriting assets worth more than 6 billion won," and asked, "How many people inherit more than 6 billion won?"
He added, "The Democratic Party proposes to increase the basic deduction and the unified deduction, which are based on 28 years ago, in line with the rise in housing prices," and said, "There are inhumane situations where parents or spouses pass away, and the surviving family members have to leave the house they lived in to pay inheritance tax."
Lee criticized, "Raising the deduction about twice to allow inheritance without tax so that the family can continue living in the house is a reasonable proposal, so why oppose it?" and pointed out, "The ruling party says that if they don't lower the top tax rate for a few people, they cannot increase the basic and unified deductions?isn't that extortion?"
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