'Policy should be judged on its merits'

Province weighs legal action over false accusation, defamation

South Gyeongsang Province spokesperson Yu Hae-nam speaks at a press conference at the provincial government's press center. [South Gyeongsang Province]
South Gyeongsang Province spokesperson Yu Hae-nam speaks at a press conference at the provincial government's press center. [South Gyeongsang Province]

South Gyeongsang Province expressed regret over a criminal complaint filed by the Progressive Party's South Gyeongsang chapter in connection with a rural basic income pilot project, saying "policy should be judged on its merits." The province said it would closely examine whether the complaint contains false statements and whether grounds exist to pursue legal action against the filers on charges of false accusation or defamation.

The province issued a statement Wednesday under the name of Spokesperson Yu Hae-nam, saying it "expresses deep regret over the practice of connecting policy disagreements to indiscriminate criminal complaints." The Progressive Party's South Gyeongsang chapter filed a complaint Friday against Governor Park Wan-su and related civil servants on charges including abuse of authority, in connection with the public solicitation for the rural basic income pilot project.

The province said it "respects sound policy criticism and reasonable raising of concerns," but added that "questioning the appropriateness of a policy judgment and alleging criminal conduct must be clearly distinguished." It said it would "actively review valid points and reflect them in provincial administration," but that filing a criminal complaint against the governor and civil servants solely on the grounds of differing policy views "is an entirely different matter."

The province said the controversy was "not a question of being for or against rural basic income, but a question of policy sustainability and responsibility for local finances." While sympathizing with the policy's intent to halt rural depopulation and support residents' livelihoods, it said "no matter how good a system may be, it cannot be free from the practical constraint of fiscal soundness."

The province said that "expanding support for a specific policy inevitably reduces the resources available for other areas." It said it had consistently called for raising the central government's funding share for the pilot project from 50 percent to at least 80 percent, adding that "had the national funding ratio been 80 percent, South Gyeongsang Province could have recommended more regions for participation."


ook967@heraldcorp.com