Yeum Tae-young, Chairman: "Timing is Critical for COVID-19 Emergency Financial Support"

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Seo Dong-young] The National Association of Mayors, Governors, and District Chiefs (Chairman Mayor Yeum Tae-young of Suwon) issued an urgent statement on March 20 regarding emergency financial support for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, calling for the government to unify eligibility standards and support scales to ensure fairness and equity.

Several local governments including South Chungcheong Province, Seoul, Gangwon Province, Daegu, Jeonju, Hwaseong, Pohang, South Chungcheong Province, and South Gyeongsang Province have rolled up their sleeves to provide emergency support in overcoming this national crisis. There are high expectations that the swift action of local governments will serve as a stepping stone to ease the hardship of citizens in difficulty.

However, the financial circumstances of the local governments leading these efforts vary widely. The national association determined that inconsistent emergency support across local governments—lacking coherence and varying by regional fiscal conditions—is creating fairness issues in a situation where everyone is struggling.

The association urged that rather than each region fending for itself, the central government should step forward with emergency support quickly, establishing uniformity in support targets and support amounts.

Chairman Yeum Tae-young emphasized, "Timing is important in everything. Swift decisions by the central government are required so that citizens facing crisis can return to their normal lives as quickly as possible."

The association is an organization comprising 228 heads of basic local governments across the nation, engaged in autonomy and decentralization, as well as cooperation and coordination with the government.

[Urgent Statement from Mayors, Governors, and District Chiefs Across the Nation Calling Again for Emergency Disaster Relief Financial Support]

Emergency Financial Support to Overcome the COVID-19 Crisis!

Now is the Time for Government Decision.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has become reality, and as we enter a prolonged phase, health crisis and economic crisis are simultaneously threatening us. In particular, vulnerable populations including irregular workers, part-time workers, and freelancers are struggling to make ends meet day by day.

In this unprecedented grave emergency situation, on March 18, Seoul City announced a policy providing emergency living expenses of up to 500,000 won to help citizens affected by COVID-19. Several local governments including Gangwon Province, Daegu, Jeonju, Hwaseong, Pohang, South Chungcheong Province, and South Gyeongsang Province have also stepped forward with emergency support to overcome this national crisis. This represents an extraordinary decision by local governments, which stand closest to the people and face the difficulties in the field. We express deep welcome and gratitude for the swift and unprecedented decisions made by these local governments.

The bold and preemptive actions of local governments will serve as a stepping stone to support disaster-vulnerable populations and breathe new life into the local economy. In particular, they will serve as a solid support for small business owners, small entrepreneurs, and daily workers who are facing difficulties such as plummeting sales and unemployment or unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 crisis, yet have not been included in government support measures and have fallen through the cracks.

However, inconsistent emergency financial support policies across local governments carry a high risk of creating regional discrimination based on fiscal circumstances. When financial support is provided only in certain specific regions, fairness issues inevitably arise at the national level, and the resulting damage inevitably falls entirely on the people.

Now is the time for the central government to step forward with "emergency financial support" to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Regardless of where one lives, everyone should be able to equally enjoy the benefits provided by the state. Since emergency support policies originating from local governments, which take different forms through "self-reliance" approaches, can cause confusion among the people, the central government must step in so as not to become a "double-edged sword." The government must uniformly establish eligibility standards and support scales to ensure fairness and equity in selection of beneficiaries and provision of benefits.

In all endeavors, "timing" is important. Support measures must be put in place as soon as possible so that necessary support reaches those in need at the right time, minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on the people's livelihood and economy. Emergency financial support from the central government will serve as an extraordinary remedy to revive the economy cooling due to COVID-19 spread and to rescue vulnerable populations driven to the edge of income cliffs.

Our local governments will also prioritize the values of "solidarity and cooperation" to wisely overcome the disaster crisis of COVID-19 and lend support to the swift decision of the central government. Now, as expectations grow for the value and recovery of people's daily lives, we anticipate swift decisions by the central government.

March 20, 2020

National Association of Mayors, Governors, and District Chiefs