By Kang Hyun-kyung
A chief policymaker of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) said Thursday he resented what he called the ruling party’s “counterfeiting” of its social policy initiative.
The allegation came days after the ruling party switched its top policy priority from growth to welfare in its policy platform as a stated vision ahead of the National Assembly elections slated for April.
Speaking in a meeting with senior DUP members, Rep. Lee Yong-sup described the ruling party’s welfare policy as a sham.
Earlier, the “Saenuri Party,” a tentative new English name for the ruling party, called the DUP’s welfare policy, including free school meals, a populist idea designed for a spending spree.
“But now the ruling party is mimicking the DUP. It keeps stealing our ideas,” Lee claimed.
DUP chairwoman Han Myeong-sook unveiled a “3+3” welfare vision calling for free school meals, free childcare, free medical care, cheap tuition, and affordable housing and jobs.
Han released the new policy package in order to differentiate the DUP’s vision from that of the ruling party. There is almost no difference between conservatives and liberals in their campaign pledges as April’s general election approaches. Previously, the ruling party placed top priority on growth.
The new approach drew attention as the conservative party has long upheld the view that economic growth would have a trickle-down effect that would benefit lower-income earners.
The ruling party supported tax cuts and touted its beneficial effects, such as investment and job creation for voters.
Now it is seeking to increase tax revenue, which is a long held liberal idea, to finance social policy.
North Korea is another front showing conservatives and liberals are almost identical in their views.
In January, the ruling party rewrote its posture on the North. It is seeking a flexible North Korea policy based on a consensus among the people. The emergency committee members want the party would make efforts to transform the North into a free democracy.
Previously, the conservative party had long sought a reciprocity-based North Korea approach calling on the Stalinist state to take measures before receiving economic incentives.
The shift drew criticism from the conservative circle. Park Se-il, who has created a minor conservative party, said the new platform indicates that the ruling party has no willingness to bring change in the North.
Conservatives, liberals and even progressives have shown similar approaches to the business practices of conglomerates.
Rep. Lee Jung-hee of a minor progressive party released a report designed to impose regulatory measures on large businesses, also called chaebol here, to protect small- and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed.
The report, dubbed the roadmap for reforming conglomerates, calls for a set of radical measures that ultimately aim to “split the nation’s 10 largest businesses into smaller pieces.”
Under the scheme, Lee said, conglomerates put small business owners out of business with unethical business practices.
Her fellow lawmakers in both conservative and liberal parties share the need for imposing regulatory measures to curb corporate greed.
Conglomerates have become a target as the nation enters an election year. Both the ruling and opposition parties have assailed large businesses, pledging steps to punish their allegedly illicit and unethical business practices.
Opposition parties focus on overhauling corporate governance, whereas the ruling party puts priority on measures that can help end illicit business practices.
Despite subtle differences in their priorities, the parties share the belief that conglomerates need restructuring.
A bad economy is behind their sweeping drive to punish conglomerates as politicians believe they are to some degree responsible for youth unemployment, jobless growth and price hikes.