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| Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, attends the party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Lee, the frontrunner in recent polls on prospective presidential candidates for the 2022 election, said the same day that he welcomes debate on the idea of introducing a basic income system, as the country faces an economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap |
Future presidential contenders show mixed opinion
By Jung Da-min
Political heavyweights of both progressive and conservative blocs are engaged in debate over the idea of introducing a basic income system, as the country is facing an economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As more and more politicians are presenting their opinions on the issue, either for or against it, it could emerge as one of key agenda items in the 2022 presidential race.
The issue drew even more attention as Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the frontrunner in recent polls on prospective presidential candidates for the 2022 election, said Monday that he welcomes debate on the issue.
"I understand why the basic income system has become a hot topic and I also welcome debate on the pros and cons of it," the former prime minister wrote on his Facebook. "There should be discourse regarding defining the concept of the basic income system we are discussing; if it is about replacing or complementing the current welfare programs, how we could secure a sufficient budget for the system and how to sustainably carry it out."
Lee's comments came after Kim Chong-in, head of the conservative main opposition United Future Party's (UFP) emergency committee for reform, raised the issue last week, saying the time has come for politicians to review the fundamentals of a universal basic income system amid a global recession caused by the pandemic.
Kim said that the people should be given economic freedom in which "those who feel hungry could buy bread," referring to the government's duty to protect the weak amid growing economic inequality.
While Kim and Lee touched upon the possibility of introducing a basic income system, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung of the DPK, who has already introduced such a system for young citizens in the region, said it should "immediately" be introduced at a viable level in which the needed resources can be supplemented within the current government budget without increasing taxes paid by the public.
"I believe it can be a low-cost, high-efficiency economic policy that meets the Fourth Industrial Revolution era," Lee wrote on his Facebook, Monday. "I'm sure that it will be more effective than any other existing economic policies if every citizen is provided with 200,000 won ($166) to 300,000 won worth of local currency, which expires in two to three months, once or twice a month," he said, referring to a type of local currency designed to be used in the recipients communities to boost local economies.
Some other politicians, however, opposed the idea of a basic income system.
Rep. Hong Jun-pyo, an independent lawmaker of the conservative bloc, said on Facebook the same day that such a system would ruin the order of the free market economy.
"The nature of a basic income system is same as that of a socialist rationing system," Hong wrote. "To introduce a basic income system, people should accept a dramatic increase in their tax payments while the current welfare system should be entirely readjusted."
Hong also referred to the case of Switzerland, where 77 percent of people opposed the idea of introducing a basic income system, as an indicator showing people would not endorse a basic income system due to the additional tax burden.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a member of the DPK, also opposed the introduction of a basic income, saying introducing employment insurance for all workers ― including part-time, low-income workers who are often excluded from the insurance as well as self-employed people ― will be more effective.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Realmeter of 500 adults showed that 48.6 percent of the respondents supported a basic income system, while 42.8 percent opposed it. The poll has a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
