Sung Il-jong, “Tough Four Months,” Despite the South Korean Government Bearing More of the Burden than Other Countries as Gas Rates Rise 38%

Sung Il-jong, chairman of the People Power Party policy committee speaks at a meeting to discuss the party’s strategy on the floor at the National Assembly on February 3. Yonhap News

On February 9, Sung Il-jong, head of the People Power Party (PPP) policy committee, spoke on the surging price of heating and said, “It (gas rate) rose about 38%, but our government is still bearing more compared with other countries.” He expected the nation to face a tough situation for about four months since gas prices rose 38% and the demand for gas also increased.

Sung Il-jong made the comment in an interview on Kim Jong-bae’s Focus (MBC radio) Thursday. He further said, “There was a need to gradually raise the price little by little to ease the impact felt by the people,” and added, “Right now, we are really sorry for the challenges experienced by the people because of heating costs.”

Sung explained that the gas rate in other countries doubled and, in some cases, even jumped four-fold. He said that the government wanted to provide more support to the most vulnerable first and that that was how they were handling things. He explained that they were having trouble expanding support to the middle class as pledged by President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The PPP policy chief said, “Up until now, it was right for the Ministry of Economy and Finance to be reluctant,” and explained, “The president can give orders, and the officials can examine the issue and tell the president that there are problems in this and that area and report the situation concerning our national finances.” He claimed that that was a good national system.

When the host asked if support for heating expenses for the middle class was likely, Sung said “No,” and explained, “The party (PPP) conveyed the opinion that we would like to expand support to the middle class, and we discussed the issue several times. But we have yet to reach a compromise because of various concerns linked to state finances.”

He also stated the need to raise the age standard for free rides on the subway for senior citizens from the current standard of 65 and older. He said, “They suggested that senior citizens ages 65 and older should ride the subway for free when President Chun Doo-hwan was in office, and that policy continues to this day.” He also said, “They say in Germany, they set the age to 65 under Bismarck in 1889.”

When the host asked if there was a need to adjust the age, Sung answered, “Yes,” and explained, “The Korea Senior Citizens Association suggested that senior citizens who go out during morning and evening rush hours should pay, while they are given free rides throughout the rest of the day.”

As for the argument by some local governments that the central government should shoulder the cost of the free rides for senior citizens, Sung said that the finance ministry still opposed the idea. He said, “We will organize a forum for local governments, the party, the Korea Senior Citizens Association and the central government to discuss the issue anddeliberate various alternatives.”