Yoon receives flak for saying social welfare spending needs greater scrutiny

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 08:00

Politics

Yoon receives flak for saying social welfare spending needs greater scrutiny

Posted : 2023-06-02 17:16

Updated : 2023-06-03 08:42

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a social security strategy meeting at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

By Jun Ji-hye

President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing criticism for saying that social welfare benefits need to be scrutinized more stringently based on market principles in order to ensure that Korea's resources are not wasted.

But critics accused the president of attempting to use budget constraints as an excuse to cut back on social welfare benefits and accused the government of abandoning its public duties.

Yoon made the remarks, Wednesday, while presiding over a social security strategy meeting at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae.

"If the government hands out money uniformly, it is nothing more than just spending money," Yoon said. "Social security services should be marketized and industrialized, and a competitive system should be introduced."

Rep. Park Kwang-on, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said Friday that Yoon virtually declared the abandonment of the government's public duties.

Rep. Park Kwang-on, center, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Friday. Yonhap

"Yoon presided over the social security strategy meeting, but the content of the meeting can be summed up as the government giving up social welfare services," Park said during a party meeting. "Yoon's idea will just cause polarization in welfare services."

Gyeonggi Province Kim Dong-yeon said the main purpose of the social security system is to protect vulnerable people from the more dangerous aspects of Korea's capitalistic society, which otherwise would not protect them.

"Introducing a competitive system in social security is illogical," he wrote on his Facebook account. "President Yoon should answer the question of why the government is needed if the social security system is to be privatized."

Kim noted that the president's argument against universal welfare was a "very dangerous idea," as the application of market logic for social security will lead to an increase in prices and eventually result in the exclusion of those who really need the services.

"If Yoon focuses too much on market logic when approaching the social security issue, both the country's welfare and economy will be ruined in the end," Kim wrote.

Former four-term conservative lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, who ran for the presidential election in 2017, joined in on the criticism of Yoon, saying that the president talked about competition, marketization and industrialization during the social security strategy, instead of talking about polarization or inequality.

"I was very worried as I was not entirely sure which direction the Yoon government's welfare policies are going," Yoo wrote on his Facebook. "Essentially, welfare should be dealt with by the government, not by the market. I am very doubtful about Yoon's philosophy about welfare if he is seeking competition, marketization and industrialization."

jjh@koreatimes.co.kr