Presidential candidates embrace Seoul mayor’s vision for social mobility initiatives

From left, Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, enter the convention room inside City Hall in Seoul, Monday. Newsis

Conservative presidential hopefuls are increasingly aligning themselves with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's signature welfare initiatives, framing them as a potential blueprint for enhancing social mobility across Korea.

This alignment underscores a potential conservative pivot toward addressing inequality, suggesting that even staunch fiscal conservatives see a political imperative in tackling Korea's social mobility challenges.

At Monday’s forum reviewing the city government’s Stepping Stone Income and Seoul Learn programs, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party praised their success and pledged to expand them into national initiatives if elected.

“These are not created by scholars. They are proven, verified policies that work,” Kim said at Seoul City Hall. “There are many underprivileged people in rural areas across Korea … I will spread these programs nationwide.”

The Stepping Stone Income program, known as "didimdol" in Korean, is an experimental policy that supplements the income of low-income households earning less than 85 percent of the median income.

A key feature of the program is that eligibility is maintained for a set period, even if the recipient’s income exceeds the threshold, unlike the existing Basic Livelihood Security Program, which immediately ends benefits when income goes above the limit.

Under the Seoul income program, for example, a business owner who earned more than 85 percent of the median income in the previous month does not have to go through a rigorous process to prove that they are still eligible for the program the next month, if their income drops below the designated level. It is designed to motivate recipients to continue working and lift themselves out of dependence on government support, city officials say.

“There are many populists who would say, ‘I will give everything for free.’ And that’s easier,” Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative Reform Party said in comments clearly aimed at Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate who famously promoted the idea of giving the basic income for all, regardless of income level.

“Mayor Oh resisted the easy temptation and came up with this sophisticated policy after reviewing our country’s financial situation ― with a firm belief that this welfare model may spread to the whole country one day. It shows who sincerely cares about our country,” added Lee Jun-seok.

According to city officials, the exit rate from the Seoul income program over the past three years is 8 to 9 percent, much higher than the Basic Livelihood Security Program’s 0.2 percent. This difference, they argue, shows that the city’s policy is more effective in motivating recipients to work.

The other welfare program, Seoul Learn, aims to improve social mobility for children in low-income families by offering them free online lectures. Among the 1,154 beneficiaries so far, 782 have gained admission to universities and colleges, including highly selective institutions in Seoul.

The education program has already been embraced by local governments in other cities and regions, including Gimpo and Incheon, city officials say.

“The biggest problem facing our society is polarization, and if you look back at what policy efforts politicians have made to address it, it is hard to find much of anything, honestly,” the mayor said. “It’s time to put maturity first before growth, and value over economic growth numbers … Stepping Stone Income and Seoul Run, which are already proven to be effective, can bring about a decisive change in the polarization of our society.”