Gov’t rolls out ‘populist’ policies before general elections
Politics return to playbook of exploiting ruling bloc advantage
The Yoon Suk Yeol administration is rolling out various policies aimed at stimulating regional development, despite criticism that it is simply churning out populist measures to curry favor with voters before the April 10 general elections.
Critics argue that Korean politics have reverted to the old playbook of the ruling side exploiting its governmental control, but suggest that the impact of such grandstanding will likely be small given that voters nowadays are less swayed by the government’s pledges that are often not honored.
During the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) Supreme Council meeting in Incheon on Monday, DPK Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung accused Yoon and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) of making “unrealistic promises and policies,” predicting they will end up forgetting these promises after the elections.
“It is not the time to deceive the public with populist policies,” Lee said. “In this time of economic collapse, we must implement practical policies that truly benefit the people’s livelihoods and the economy.”
Lee’s comments came hours before Yoon announced the government would lift development restrictions on 339 square kilometers of land near military facilities across the country to enable greater regional development.
Most of these zones were under the restrictions due to their proximity to air bases, such as Seoul Air Base in Gyeonggi Province and Seosan Air Base in South Chungcheong Province.
The announcement freed several prime areas in Seoul’s Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts from development restrictions. Also, some expensive areas in Bundang District of Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province were also included in the restriction-free zones, sparking market expectations of higher real estate value.
The government has been regularly lifting development bans in areas surrounding military facilities following residents’ requests, but Monday’s announcement triggered questions over its purpose in that the government had already lifted 53 million square meters of protection zones in December.
“Whether intentional or not, suspicions arise that this is an election strategy,” an official at the opposition bloc said. “The announcement seems to have a greater effect on lifting development restrictions on prime real estate in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province rather than fostering regional development.”
The announcement also aligns with Yoon’s promise last week that the government will revise regulations governing land use in areas preserved to protect the environment, known as greenbelt areas here.
Freeing the greenbelt areas also drew criticism that the government is resorting to populist policies before the general elections — even though the ruling PPP denies it. “It was in accordance with Yoon’s principle of balanced regional development,” PPP spokesperson Rep. Jung Hee-yong said.
It is not rare in Korean politics for the government to make a number of appealing promises in the lead-up to major elections.
During the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the government and the then-ruling DPK announced COVID-19 relief payments worth 1 million won ($750) for 14 million households in the bottom 70 percent income bracket just two weeks before the previous general elections on April 15, 2020.
At that time, then-DPK floor leader Rep. Lee In-young stirred controversy during his canvassing in a Seoul constituency by saying the government would give relief money to citizens if they elect a DPK candidate.
On Jan. 9 that year, the DPK and the Moon administration lifted restrictions on 77 square kilometers of military facility protection zones. At the time, Shim Jae-chul, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, a predecessor of the PPP, said, “This is a typical case of the government influencing the elections with populist policies.”
“The recent policies mirror the classic strategy of exploiting the ruling bloc’s advantage, although their effectiveness remains uncertain,” said Eom Gyeong-young, director of the Zeitgeist Institute, a private political think tank.
“It is undesirable for the president to make promises about regional development just weeks before the general elections. In fact, those policies of stimulating development even go against Yoon’s policy principle of pursuing fiscal prudence.”
Eom noted that recent elections have focused primarily on political strife between the ruling bloc and the DPK, rather than Yoon’s promises on development. “Voters nowadays are less swayed by politicians’ rosy promises before the elections,” he said.
Voters nowadays are less swayed by politicians’ rosy promises before
the elections.