Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, drew a line against any near-term adoption of the "AI excess profit citizen dividend" proposed by Kim Yong-beom, chief of the Presidential Office's policy office, saying it is "a matter that should be pursued only when it has fully ripened, since lifting the pot lid too early leaves the rice undercooked."
At a press briefing held Thursday at the main building in Yeouido, Seoul, Jung made the remarks in response to reporters' questions about his stance on the citizen dividend, adding, "From what I heard from the policy committee chair, there was no prior discussion with the party."
"We are entering an unprecedented path in an era of fateful transformation driven by AI," Jung said. "I believe that is why Chief Kim made such a proposal, and the Presidential Office has already stated that it was his personal opinion."
On Wednesday, Kim raised the idea of a citizen dividend system on his Facebook page, writing, "The fruits of the AI infrastructure era are not the result of specific companies alone," and calling for the gains to be returned to the public. The proposal sparked controversy in the market, where it was interpreted as suggesting a redistribution of individual companies' profits. The Presidential Office moved to contain the fallout, describing Kim's citizen dividend concept as "a personal opinion unrelated to any internal discussion or review."
Regarding the introduction of a citizen dividend, Jung said, "Rather than doing something immediately, it would be better first to have academic research and examination, and then apply the scholarly findings to reality." He added, "It is an issue that, in the later legislative process, must win public consensus and fully reflect diverse opinions."
On the People Power Party ramping up its offensive against the Democratic Party-led "fabricated indictment special prosecutor bill," including launching an "election committee to block the withdrawal of indictments," Jung said, "The People Power Party's first task is to break away from insurrection, to break away from Yoon Suk-yeol, and to shed the stigma of being a pro-insurrection party." He added pointedly, "The moment they set up a fabricated indictment election committee, wouldn't the public think, 'Did Yoon Suk-yeol's political prosecutors really harm that many people?'"
On the tightly contested race for Jeonbuk governor, Jung sought voter support, saying, "The Democratic Party is paying special attention to it, more than to any other city or metropolitan government head." Kim Kwan-young, former Jeonbuk governor, was expelled from the party over allegations of cash handouts and is running as an independent, engaging in a fierce contest with Democratic Party candidate Lee Won-taek.
"I will explain with a humble posture that having a Democratic Party candidate become Jeonbuk governor is far more efficient and will drive Jeonbuk's development with greater speed," Jung said. "Many people have been heartbroken by the triple marginalization of Jeonbuk, and the ones who can resolve it in one stroke are the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party."
