Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized the Democratic Party's former representative Lee Jae-myung's "basic income" policy, stating, "It is an inefficient welfare policy where amounts that mean little to affluent groups are supported, while support that falls far short of needs is provided to struggling households." Both individuals have declared their intentions to run for president.
Mayor Oh made these comments after a meeting with reporters following the 'Stairway Income Forum' held at the Seoul Welfare Foundation in Mapo District on the 10th, regarding a request to compare 'Stairway Income' and 'Basic Income.'
'Stairway Income' is one of Mayor Oh's representative livelihood welfare policies designed to provide more robust support to vulnerable groups. It is often compared as an alternative or opposing policy to the 'Lee Jae-myung style basic income' which is provided to all citizens.
Mayor Oh noted, "Stairway Income has the significant advantage of encouraging recipients to engage in work," adding, "We will continue to experiment steadily until social consensus is formed and expand the experimental subjects nationwide to establish a more perfect form of the new K-welfare system."
'Stairway Income' fills a certain portion of household income that is lacking compared to the standard income for households with incomes below 85% of the median income. Unlike living allowances, where the qualification is revoked once income is generated, it is designed to maintain eligibility even if income exceeds the standards, thereby not diminishing the motivation to work.
Launched in July 2022, the program has supported about 2,100 households so far. According to the Seoul City government, the income experiment over the past three years resulted in a withdrawal rate of 8.6% for those who no longer need to receive Stairway Income because their income exceeded 85% of the median income, while the percentage of households that increased their earned income was recorded at 31.1%.
When asked by reporters whether Mayor Oh plans to make the nationwide implementation of Stairway Income a key pledge in the presidential election, he responded, "There is a need to verify whether the results are appearing fairly nationwide, but it is regrettable that we do not have enough time to prepare due to the early election." He added, "It would be much more efficient for the central government to conduct such an income guarantee experiment rather than Seoul City, and regardless of who takes on the next administration, I hope this type of income guarantee experiment continues."
Meanwhile, Mayor Oh declared his candidacy for the 21st presidential election scheduled for June 3. The People Power Party announced a primary election process that will narrow down candidates to four and two people through two rounds of preliminary elections, stating that if a majority voter emerges in the four-person primary, they will immediately confirm the candidate. In response, Mayor Oh said, "It is necessary to continue discussions and make revisions and improvements to ensure the success of the primaries."