President Yoon Vows to End Subsidies to Political Groups as Part of Government Austerity Measures
President Yoon should just call these subsidies what they are, political payoffs. What Yoon can’t do though is just end the subsidies to left wing groups and then give them to right wing groups. This just continues the same problem. None of these political groups should be receiving taxpayer money:
President Yoon Suk Yeol called Wednesday for abolishing “nonsense political subsidies” in an apparent reference to subsidies given to civil organizations under the previous administration.
Yoon made the remark while presiding over a national financial strategy meeting with government and ruling party officials ahead of full-fledged planning for next year’s government budget, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.
“We must get rid of nonsense political subsidies, while keeping economic subsidies alive and making social subsidies more efficient and rational,” Yoon was quoted as saying during the meeting held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae.
The instruction came after a recent audit of government subsidies given to about 12,000 civil organizations over the past three years found a total of 1,865 cases of irregularities involving about 31.4 billion won (US$24 million).
Earlier, Yoon ordered the implementation of a strict oversight system under which project leaders and the public servants responsible will be held to account in the event of irregularities in subsidized projects.
Yoon took direct aim at the previous Moon Jae-in administration, saying the national debt, which had been kept at 600 trillion won for 70 years, rose by 400 trillion won during its term, increasing the total to over 1,000 trillion won.
Yonhap
Here is the most important statement from President Yoon and I guess we will see in the coming years if he actually means it:
“If we are thinking truly of the nation and the people, and not of political ambition, then fiscal austerity and soundness is inevitable at the moment,” he said. “Our government, unlike the previous government, will maintain a principle of responsible and sustainable fiscal management.”
You can read more at the link.
good move.
“What Yoon can’t do though is just end the subsidies to left wing groups and then give them to right wing groups. ”
This is just a guess… but if one were to look at who is receiving the subsidies, one may find they are ALL left-wing groups.
It is unlikely the Moon juanta gave much money to right-wing groups.
Governments should not be giving money to any group that is not clearly furthering the interests of the nation. And that money should be tied to positive results. And these groups should be making a clear effort to be apolitical in the pursuit of their stated agenda.
Democracies have a way of turning into cold civil wars with elections becoming competitions of who can build the bigger army. To that end, refusing to fund your own side at the expense of the other is simply bad strategy.
You clearly have zero understanding of Korean politics, or more likely, about South Korea.