Governor Lee Jae-myung: "Fourth Round of Emergency Disaster Relief Payments to All Citizens Should Be Expedited"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has reiterated his position on providing universal basic income disaster relief payments to all citizens.

On the 6th, in a post on his Facebook, the governor stated, "What is the truth? There was a report of survey results showing that two-thirds of the people supported selective aid. According to Gyeonggi Province's survey results, two-thirds of Gyeonggi residents supported the second round of disaster basic income (100,000 won in regional currency per resident)."

He continued, "Based on my understanding of public sentiment, the first round of relief payments (universal distribution of perishable regional currency) which produced a dual effect of economic recovery and income support through consumption activation is much more preferred than the second round of payments (selective cash distribution) which had almost no economic effect beyond income support, and also shows higher fiscal execution efficiency." He added, "The first round has greater effects in mitigating income inequality and activating consumption than the second round. This is why small business owners are advocating for universal distribution of regional currency."

Governor Lee emphasized, "In times of crisis, sufficient fiscal spending to prevent economic deterioration is the most reliable investment in economic recovery," and stressed, "While rapidly executing the prepared selective third round of disaster relief payments, we must also expedite universal fourth round of disaster relief payments."

Governor Lee Jae-myung recently clashed with Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hong Nam-ki over the method of distributing disaster relief payments.