Moon Geumju's Written Briefing
"Using Rice Prices as a Scapegoat...Irresponsible Behavior"
On February 4, the Democratic Party of Korea rebutted People Power Party leader Jang Donghyuk's claim in his parliamentary negotiation group speech that rising rice prices were caused by inflation, stating, "The recent rice price is not a surge or an abnormal phenomenon. It is simply a return to previous levels, from 221,572 won for 80 kg in June 2021 to the current price."
Moon Geumju, Floor Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a written briefing that day, "This is a process of escaping from an abnormal situation in which the price had not even covered production costs for years and regaining a normal price level," adding, "To ignore this context and single out rice prices as the main culprit of inflation is a clear distortion of facts."
Moon continued, "Due to the collapse in rice prices, farmers have long been driven to the brink of survival, and farms giving up agriculture have been emerging one after another. As a result, the hollowing out of rural communities has deepened, and the foundations of national food security have also been shaken," and added, "In the face of this reality, criticizing the recovery of rice prices is nothing more than a political offensive that shirks responsibility while turning a blind eye to the suffering of farmers."
Moon said, "Rice is not a simple market commodity. It is the basis of the people's diet and a core asset of food security that the state must guarantee," and pointed out, "Even so, attempts to use rice prices as a scapegoat to explain inflation anxiety are an irresponsible and dangerous idea that leaves farmers and food security to political calculations."
He went on, "Politics is not about driving a wedge between farmers and the public," and noted, "Stabilizing rice prices is the minimum condition for farmers' survival, and price stability is a task that the government and the political community must resolve through structural solutions."
He added, "In Representative Jang's remarks, there is neither an accurate diagnosis for price stability nor any substantive alternative," and urged, "Representative Jang Donghyuk must immediately stop the irresponsible behavior of shifting the blame for inflation onto the recovery of rice prices."
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