Cheong Wa Dae on the 31st addressed President Lee Jae-myung's "populism" remark regarding the "Busan Global Hub City Special Act bill" (hereinafter the Busan Development Special Act), saying it "means that unless it is something differentiated that can raise people's lives a bit more, we do not particularly encourage making a special act by deliberately putting a local name in it."
Kang Yu-jung, Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson, said at a Cheong Wa Dae briefing that afternoon, "It is not about which party is important, but that unless it is something differentiated that can holistically improve the lives of the majority of people, we should be cautious about putting the name of a particular region," adding this. She also said, "It is about thinking of the big picture in terms of the interests of the entire public and balanced national development, and it is not at all about excluding a particular region."
Earlier that morning, President Lee, pointing out the problem of populism in members' bills at a cabinet meeting, cited the Busan Global Hub City Special Act as an example. Lee said, "We need to think hard not only about one's own ministry's jurisdiction but also about fiscal issues and consistency with other legal systems," adding, "For example, this time they were rushing to make some kind of Busan special act, so I raised some points (about the problems)."
Lee continued, "We need to examine what kind of fiscal burden it would be and whether it is consistent with the government's state affairs," and asked, "If we make a special act only for Busan, what will we do about Daejeon, and what about Gwangju and other places?" Lee also said, "If (we just do it unconditionally) without such review, it will burden the government and could be difficult to implement later," adding, "At the early stage, we should actively offer opinions so that unnecessary clashes or burdens do not arise."
Lee's remarks came as the ruling and opposition parties are holding primary races for preliminary candidates in the June 3 local elections, including the Busan mayoral race. In the Democratic Party, Rep. Chun Jae-soo, who served as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, and former Busan party chair Lee Jae-sung are competing. For the Democratic Party, Busan is a tough battleground, as the People Power Party captured 17 of 18 districts in the 22nd general election. However, some see it as hard to predict public opinion this time because turmoil in the conservative camp is acute.
◇Although the parties agreed, it was blocked in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee… opposition says "Are you belittling Busan?"
The Busan Development Special Act would designate Busan as an industrial special zone to provide various special exemptions and foster it as a mecca for international logistics, finance, and digital high-tech industries. Rep. Chun Jae-soo and People Power Party Rep. Lee Heon-seung jointly proposed it. Park Heong-joon, the Busan mayor from the People Power Party, even shaved his head urging the bill's passage. On the 26th, it passed the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee by bipartisan agreement, but four days later, The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the Democratic Party, did not put it on the agenda, saying the deliberation period (five days) under the National Assembly Act had not elapsed.
Mayor Park Heong-joon pushed back against the president's remarks, calling them "a shock in itself." Park said, "This is an overt attempt to block a special act that was proposed two years ago, completed government consultations, and passed the standing committee a few days ago," adding, "It passed the standing committee by bipartisan agreement and contains exemptions on par with special acts for other regions such as North Jeolla and Gangwon that have already passed, yet only the Busan special act is being held back."
Joo Jin-woo, a People Power Party preliminary candidate for Busan mayor, also said, "President Lee Jae-myung blocked the Busan Global Hub Special Act, showing that he looks down on Busan," adding, "The South Jeolla–Gwangju special act was rushed through in a flash, but the Busan special act is left to sit for two years and now you are dragging it out again?"