Lee Jae-myung criticizes military service credit limits in national pension reform

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said regarding the national pension reform plan, "What is regrettable is that the military service credits for our young people could only be recognized for 1 year due to the People Power Party's obstruction, which is truly disappointing."

Lee noted during a Supreme Council meeting of his party at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 21st, "Our goal was to extend the military service credits to the entire service period, and I feel sorry for the young people."

He remarked the day before that the national pension basic reform plan had passed the plenary session through an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, saying, "For the first time in a while, the National Assembly and the political community have accomplished something that deserves praise from the public," but added, "We couldn't postpone the pension reform agreement because of the issue of recognizing the actual service period for military credits."

Lee emphasized, "No matter how much we talk about the purpose of politics, or fight over various issues, it ultimately exists for the better lives of the public." He added, "Addressing the issue of military rule is certainly important, but we cannot neglect people's livelihoods."

Additionally, he stressed the prompt establishment of the supplementary budget and the reform of inheritance tax. Lee criticized, "When it comes to the supplementary budget, (the People Power Party) claims to support it verbally but then opposes it later. They say they support it upfront but then make absurd demands behind the scenes, causing continuous delays."

He continued, "The details of the supplementary budget we proposed, as I mentioned, can be sufficiently discussed and adjusted, and I have stated that we will not be stubborn about it." He also added, "I don’t know what excuses will come up, but nevertheless, we need to discuss the supplementary budget and promptly establish it to revive the economy and stabilize people's livelihoods."

Regarding the inheritance tax reform issue, he emphasized, "(The People Power Party) has talked but still there is no progress," and said, "It would be good if it could be handled quickly within the agreed range."