Policy Watch: Hong Joon-pyo maps out vision for welfare transformation
Hong Joon-pyo, the recently resigned Daegu mayor and a presidential contender for the conservative People Power Party's nomination, has unveiled a welfare reform plan titled 'Welfare Transformation 100+1.' Framing it as a shift from cash handouts to future generation empowerment, Hong emphasized opportunity over cash benefits, particularly for the vulnerable.
Central to Hong's plan is keeping welfare costs in line with economic growth. 'We'll set an appropriate welfare-to-GDP ratio so future generations aren't burdened and people can achieve economic independence,' he said.
Key pledges include expanding child subsidies from age 8 to 15 and creating 2 million public jobs for seniors. The basic pension will be restructured around income security, alongside a 'half-price hospital' system for the aged and a 'one-on-one senior care' initiative for 1 million older people living alone.
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Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae Myung skipping NATO summit risks Seoul missing out on diplomatic opportunities, opposition says
President Lee Jae Myung's decision not to attend the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization risks South Korea missing out on diplomatic and security opportunities, lawmakers with the opposition People Power Party said Monday. "This NATO summit would be a crucial opportunity to address the security and economic uncertainties caused by the recent Middle East crisis and to explore ways to coordinate joint efforts," People Power Party lawmakers said in a joint statement, asking the president to reconsider. The People Power Party lawmakers said that the president snubbing the NATO summit might send the wrong signal about which countries the new administration in South Korea deems more important. "The president being absent from the NATO summit could give the impression that South Korea is prioritizing China, Russia and North Korea over our allies and partners," they said. The presidential office said earlier that Lee would not be attending the NATO summit, citing "various domestic issues" and the "uncertainties caused by the situation in the Middle East," but added that Lee's top security aide, Wi Sung-lac, would be sent instead. The People Power Party lawmakers also asked the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to exercise "more diplomatic prudence" in its messages about the US. The US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites sparked criticism of the US from some within the Democratic Party over the weekend, including six-term Rep. Choo Mi-ae. Choo said in a statement on Facebook that the US "crossed the Rubicon" with the bombing of the Iranian nuclear sites, which she said violated international laws barring the use of unilateral preemptive force. People Power Party Rep. Kim Gunn, a former nuclear envoy, said that the Democratic Party, as the ruling party should "coordinate its messages on sensitive diplomatic issues with the government." "Messages out of the ruling party that are not in sync with where the government stands could be wrongly perceived as the intentions and perceptions of the government," Kim said. People Power Party Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said, considering the unique security challenges facing South Korea, such as North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia, Lee's opting out of the NATO summit was "deeply regrettable."
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae Myung's ‘pragmatic' diplomacy comes into focus
Conservatives accuse Lee of neglecting national interests, while experts note possible consideration of China ties and missed arms export opportunities President Lee Jae Myung's decision not to attend the NATO summit in the Netherlands has brought his 'pragmatic' foreign policy approach into renewed focus, while triggering attacks from conservatives. Lee had considered participating in the NATO summit but decided not to, his office said Sunday, in the face of "various domestic issues and uncertainties due to developments in the Middle East." Following the announcement by Lee's office, NATO revealed that a meeting between the NATO Secretary General, US President Donald Trump and the leaders of NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region is set to take place at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in The Hague. Lee's office has declined to comment on whether Lee was aware of the event before his decision not to fly to the Netherlands. Skipping the NATO trip deprives Lee of a chance to sit down for talks with Trump, as well as with leaders of European countries that South Korea sees as partners in the defense industry and regional security, prompting criticism from the conservative main opposition People Power Party. "We are facing a serious diplomatic test due to the US precision strike on Iran's nuclear sites, the heightened tensions in the Middle East, and President Lee's decision not to attend the NATO summit," said Rep. Kim Seok-ki, a lawmaker with the People Power Party on Monday. "We express deep concern that the ruling bloc's response is 'pragmatic diplomacy' in name only. ... They are not fulfilling their responsibility for our national interests." Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party also told reporters that the decision taken soon after the power transition to the liberals "will likely raise concerns among NATO member states" that South Korea might be a weak link in the Western bloc, and that Seoul might be factoring in the perceptions of "totalitarian states." One expert suggested that Lee may have considered South Korea's ties with China in his decision, while also noting his interest in confidence-building with North Korea — though signs of reengagement remain limited, aside from his move to halt propaganda loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border. "President Lee decided not to attend given that the focus of Trump's attention is on Iran and allied defense spending, rather than on a tariff deal with Seoul, and perhaps also out of concern that a strongly worded joint statement could offend China," said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "Seoul will be on alert for how conflict in the Middle East reverberates in Asia," Easley added. While most observers will understand that Lee has pressing domestic priorities, including staffing his new administration, Easley said, "not attending the NATO summit isn't only a missed opportunity to help defend the international order by supporting Ukraine and coordinating responses to conflict in the Middle East." Another expert called Lee's decision not to attend the NATO summit a "mistake" because his presence there could have convinced Seoul's Western partners that he values Europe and understands the connection between security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions. "This is diplomatic low-hanging fruit that Lee is not grabbing," said Mason Richey, professor of international politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. "It's also a chance to further cement South Korea's role as an arms exporter to Europe, and perhaps make some connection with European leaders of states who could become future South Korean weapons customers," he added.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Lee discusses stimulus, diplomacy with bipartisan delegation
Lee hosts ruling and opposition party leadership for lunch, just 18 days into presidency President Lee Jae Myung held a lunch meeting with a bipartisan delegation Sunday at his official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to discuss the government's recent stimulus proposal and his visit to Canada to attend the G7 summit last week. There, Lee stressed a need to narrow down differences between rival parties. "Many world leaders (I met during the G7 summit) had a significant amount of interest in South Korea's present and future, so I thought we could conciliate with each other over the external issues," Lee said. "I thought we should review the economic situation of South Korea and the issues of national security and diplomacy that lay the foundation for South Korea's economy. Especially, we should work on the extra budget bill, and it is natural to have different opinions," he continued. Bowls of colorful noodles were served at lunch, according to the presidential office. The meeting marked the start of "candid conversation" between the president and leaders of rival parties, Woo Sang-ho, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, said in a briefing on Sunday Present at the meeting were Rep. Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea; Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim leader of the main opposition People Power Party and People Power Party Whip Rep. Song Eon-seog. The ruling party chair position has yet to be filled. The primary focus of the meeting was the 30.5 trillion won ($22.2 billion) supplementary budget that is set to be tabled at the National Assembly on Monday. Among the extra budget is a 15.2 trillion-won stimulus plan, largely designed to shore up consumption by doling out 13 trillion won worth of cash-equivalent coupons to all South Korean citizens. Each individual will receive coupons worth at least 150,000 won. Additionally, 5 trillion won was allocated in the supplementary budget for small businesses and economically marginalized groups. The plan includes a 1.4 trillion won scheme to write off debts of small business owners -- up to 50 million won per individual -- that have been overdue for seven years or more. The liberal government's budget proposal gained Cabinet approval Thursday. At the meeting, People Power Party's interim leader Kim told Lee that he was wary of expansionary fiscal policy because it could lead to inflation. Kim also said Lee's debt write-off plan could prompt people's unwillingness to resolve delinquency. The ruling liberal party has the legislative power to single-handedly pass the budget bill, as it requires at least half of the votes by National Assembly lawmakers present at the session. The parliament is currently led by the ruling Democratic Party, which occupies 167 seats out of the 298. The conservative main opposition People Power Party holds 107 seats. Just before Sunday's lunch meeting, Democratic Party floor spokesperson Rep. Kim Hyun-jung claimed that a plenary session to pass the extra budget bill must take place before July 4, regardless of whether the People Power Party consents. Also during the meeting, Lee shared with the political leaders about his debut on the international stage as a guest at the Group of Seven summit, according to the presidential office. Chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, on Tuesday, had extended a general invitation to the opposition party leaders while Lee was in Canada for the G7 summit. On Thursday, Lee told Kang that the meeting with bipartisan leadership should take place early, and the date was set for Sunday. This stands in contrast with Lee's conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who first met the then-opposition leader Lee about two years into his presidency in April 2024, only after the then-ruling People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in the general election.
