[사설] ‘All National Disaster Subsidies’ is a trick to get votes.

President Moon Jae-in said, “My heart is crushed,” when the sales of Korean beef and pork belly surged after the former national emergency disaster support fund was paid in April of last year. At that time, the disaster subsidies helped workers in the face-to-face industries, such as restaurants, shopping malls, leisure, tourism, etc., hit directly by Corona 19, and affected consumption, so the president was impressed. There was a controversy over whether there was a need to apply for people with high incomes, but he said that he could donate the support money.

However, there is another truth about the national disaster support fund. First of all, 99% of the people did not donate and received disaster support funds. Moreover, at the time, it sprinkled 13 trillion won, but the effect of increasing sales was only 26-36%. Even the Korea Development Institute (KDI), a national research institute, analyzed that “the effect of supporting the affected industries was insignificant.” It was a predicted result from the beginning. The damage from the corona crisis is mainly concentrated on the face-to-face industry and its workers. On the other hand, as telecommuting spreads, the high-tech industries and the semiconductor industry that entered the 4th industrial revolution are enjoying a boom. Due to the prolonged home time, automobiles and other durable goods are being sold as if they are flying, and the stock price is also rising.

As a result, the economic polarization intensified last year. Monthly income of households in the fifth quintile in the top 20% of income in the third quarter reached 10397,000 won, an increase of 2.9% from the same period last year. The monthly income of households in the lower first quintile of income fell 1.1% to 1637,000 won. This is the result of the direct hit of job reduction only to the vulnerable as the corona crisis evaded the high-income class. In this yard, even for high-income households with monthly incomes of over 10 million won, the gap between the rich and the poor is inevitably widened, as 1 million won each was distributed to a family of four. In short, it means that the money that should have gone to people in desperate need was spent on giving pockets of people who could live.

Despite this reality, passport politicians once again took out the former National Disaster Subsidy Card. Democratic Party President Lee Nak-yeon said, “When the corona is calming down and the economy needs to be accelerated, we can also consider’a plan to support the whole people’.” Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myeong argued for the expansion of the national disaster subsidies, even criticizing that it was a single-celled debate. Erupting. I can fully guess why. In the general elections in April last year, the ruling party won the favor of the voters with the support of the national disaster support fund. It has made a great contribution to securing 180 seats of passports.

This time, the former National Disaster Subsidy Card came out just ahead of the re-election for the mayors of Seoul and Busan. If you are conscious of the election and fall into the temptation to spread cash, it makes sense to stop immediately. This is because cash support for the whole nation is of no help in terms of not only boosting consumption, but also equity and financial circumstances for the vulnerable. The Democratic Party must now try to normalize K quarantine before thinking of throwing money ahead of the election. Even though more than 40 countries around the world are vaccinated against the coronavirus, the Korean people are not even able to see the vaccine. Moreover, collective repulsions have occurred in various places due to the designation of a group banned business without principle.

In addition, if the disaster subsidies, which are insignificant in effect, are re-supplied to all the people, the intention cannot be accepted purely. Moreover, now is not the time to discuss boosting consumption. In the fall of last year, consumption coupons were sprayed, but when the second spread began in earnest, it had to be stopped. Without the end of the corona, premature consumption will only become poison, and cash spray is pouring water on the poison that has fallen below. At this point, the execution of the 3rd subsidy amounting to 9 trillion won, concentrated in the affected sector, has not even started. As the current government’s expenditure to pour out, the amount of government bonds in deficit this year exceeds 90 trillion won. The national debt is close to 1,000 trillion won and the national debt ratio is close to 50%. By any standard, disaster subsidies for the entire population are not helpful in overcoming the corona.