LEE PROPOSES SUBSIDY DISCUSSION TO YOON

[Anchor Lead]

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has proposed to his opposition rival, Yoon Seok-youl, that the two parties discuss universal disaster relief subsidies. Lee is pushing both his party and the central government to accept his proposition. He says the finance minister, who remains reluctant on universal subsidies, should personally experience the difficult lives of ordinary people.

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The ruling party's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, says the Democratic Party and the People Power Party should discuss together his proposition of universal disaster relief subsidies and his rival's proposition of compensating business losses endured during the pandemic.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Presidential Candidate) : "If you don't want to be accused of getting your way, only promising to deliver when you're elected President, let's discuss it now."

This implies the matter can no longer be postponed. In a reference to the government decision to cut the local currency budget, a major project carried out by the Gyeonggi-do Province government, the ruling party presidential candidate blasted Economy and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki for disagreeing on the budget issue.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Presidential Candidate) : "I want to tell him to go see the public in person rather than sitting at his desk in a warm room. I want him to see with his own eyes how ordinary people struggle to make ends meet."

Lee also unleashed his criticism towards his own party. He said people who voted for the Democratic Party in the last general elections and helped it secure the majority of seats in the National Assembly are disappointed with its performance, and the party's lacking promptness. Lee's remarks are believed to represent his frustration over the widening gap in approval ratings with the opposition party. The Democratic Party's first-term lawmakers also said recently that the deployment of incumbent lawmakers only in the party's election committee shows that the party has lost touch with reality.

[Soundbite] Rep. Choi Hye-young(Democratic Party) : "The current structure hampers the participation of young people, women, low-income earners, marginalized classes and the socially vulnerable."

The Democratic Party says Lee's remarks represent a sense of urgency. On Tuesday morning Lee met with young environmental activists in Seoul to discuss ways to tackle climate change.