Jo Bae-sook, Lawmaker, Controversy Arises from Misunderstanding of Consumer Coupon Payment Method for Living Recovery
Lawmaker Jo Bae-sook from the People Power Party has become the center of controversy due to a lack of understanding regarding the government’s consumer coupon payment method for living recovery.
On the 30th of last month, during the comprehensive policy inquiry of the National Assembly's Budget and Settlement Special Committee, Lawmaker Jo asked Kim Min-jae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, “Why do you insist on using coupons only for the living recovery coupons? There are check cards and various other methods; why do you keep insisting on coupons?”
However, the actual living recovery consumer coupons can be received in various forms, including local love gift certificates, prepaid cards, and credit or check card points.
This method is similar to the "Emergency Disaster Relief Fund" distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Criticism of Lack of Policy Understanding Spreads
Even after Vice Minister Kim explained, “It includes payment methods. Prepaid cards, check cards, and credit cards are all possible,” Lawmaker Jo emphasized again, “It seems that you are only stressing gift certificates and such,” escalating the controversy. In response, Vice Minister Kim said, “We will improve our promotion efforts.”
This incident has drawn further criticism as it reflects that a member of the National Assembly's Budget Committee, which handles budget reviews, failed to grasp the basic content of the policy under review.
In particular, while the People Power Party has attacked the living recovery consumer coupons as "cash handout populism," it has come under scrutiny that a party-affiliated lawmaker misunderstood the basic content of this policy.
YouTube 'NATV National Assembly Broadcasting'
Online, many criticized Lawmaker Jo's remarks, stating, “Isn't it essential to understand the basic content before criticizing the policy?”
This incident has drawn parallels to the controversy in 2016 when former lawmaker Lee Eun-jae from the Liberty Korea Party (the predecessor to the People Power Party) raised an issue by asking, “Why did you buy MS Office from Microsoft?”
At that time, former lawmaker Lee was criticized for not knowing that MS Office was a product name of Microsoft, which led to numerous parodies.
Image source: Lawmaker Jo Bae-sook from the People Power Party / YouTube 'NATV National Assembly Broadcasting', YouTube 'NATV National Assembly Broadcasting', reference photos for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank
