President Lee Jae-myung stated, “There are various opinions regarding the supplementary budget,” emphasizing the need to consider both income and consumption stimulation aspects.
The President, who departed yesterday (16th) for the G7 Summit, held an impromptu press conference onboard the flight to Canada and responded to questions about the supplementary budget.
President Lee said, “If the focus is on stimulating consumption and economic policy, it would be disadvantageous and discriminatory not to benefit those who pay more taxes,” adding, “If it’s purely a consumption stimulation policy without an income support aspect, it should be equal.”
He explained, “On the other hand, since living conditions are very difficult for ordinary citizens, it’s not that there’s no aspect of income support policy, so if we emphasize the income policy side, we should naturally provide more support to those in need.”
The President also noted, “Even if it’s a consumption stimulation policy, since lower-income individuals have a higher propensity to consume, supporting them could be more beneficial for boosting consumption,” and added, “Supporting high-income individuals may often replace existing consumption.”
He concluded, “We need to consider both aspects, so I think it might be good to mix the two approaches. I will review the proposals from the financial authorities and discuss with the party and government.”
Regarding the political funding allegations against Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok, President Lee stated, “I asked him about it, and he said he can fully explain it as it’s just a suspicion, so I believe he can explain it thoroughly during the hearing.”
Concerning the allegations against Lee Han-joo, Chairman of the National Planning Committee, he said, “Although he is not a public official, he is doing volunteer work, which also has a public nature, so verification is inevitable. But he also says he can explain, so I’ll listen to his explanation.”
When asked about the approval rating for his first week in office, President Lee remarked, “Whenever I take public office, it seems my approval rating is always higher at the end than at the beginning. When I became the governor of Gyeonggi Province, I started at the bottom nationwide, but finished with the highest rating among local government heads.”