Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, said on the 4th that whether lowering only the dividend income tax leads to an increase in dividends should be examined through research.

On Nov. 8, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the economic policy agreement ceremony of the 'Real Korea Election Countermeasure Committee' held at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

The candidate appeared on an economic YouTube collective talk show 'Economic Talk' that afternoon and noted, "One of the considerations to increase the dividend propensity of corporations is the dividend income tax," adding, "However, after briefly trying it for about three years, I ended up having to withdraw it because it only reduced taxes."

He continued, "Whether changing only the dividend income tax will work in the future needs to be researched," and added, "I think a few supplementary measures would suffice."

The candidate said, "Reducing the dividend income tax and alleviating side effects by removing problematic points may help increase dividend income," but added, "However, if the reduction in taxes is too significant, it could become problematic."

He continued, "Various methods should be researched to enhance the dividend propensity," stating, "One method could be to impose disadvantages on corporations that distribute fewer dividends, or if the dividend propensity is high, to lower the dividend income tax; otherwise, just applying the 49.5% tax rate would be an option."

◇Trump said, “Increasing tariffs is not the goal of the U.S.… Negotiations are necessary.”

Meanwhile, the candidate said regarding President Trump's tariff policy, "Ultimately, the U.S. is becoming isolated, and its soft power and national credibility are being damaged," and added, "It is quite dangerous, and simply pushing forward will not work."

He stated, "Raising tariffs is not the goal of the United States. They threw in tariffs to gain something else," and said, "Negotiations need to be held."

He remarked, "We also have several cards. Fossil fuel or LNG imports and nuclear issues that the U.S. needs are among them," and added, "A complex deal needs to be made."

The candidate also said, "This morning, I asked economic organizations to join forces with our domestic corporations and government," adding, "Investing in the U.S. is one card."