President Lee: “Those who have spent their lives as high-ranking officials find it hard to understand the arduous lives of ordinary citizens”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung said on the 11th, “Someone who has spent a lifetime living comfortably as a high-ranking official, enjoying their parents’ support and a life of luxury without facing hardship, would find it difficult to understand the lives and outlook of ordinary people struggling to get by.”
President Lee wrote, “Can people who enjoy every luxury with ordinary people’s hard-earned tax money, treat powerless ordinary people even more harshly, and slash modest welfare budgets for them without hesitation understand the feelings of people who have to swallow hard because they lack even a few thousand won to buy fruit, go hungry while fretting over tens of thousands of won, or wonder whether they should just embrace their families and die?”
Some have speculated that the remarks were aimed at Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, who is at odds with the provincial council after making steep cuts to the budget, including funding for livelihood programs, citing a fiscal crisis. President Lee, however, did not mention anyone by name.
President Lee stressed, “Constantly looking into the back alleys where life unfolds and looking after those suffering most, in the lowest places in this world—that is what governing, public administration and politics are all about.”
He also noted, “We must understand that lives we have never seen or even thought about can be cut down by the tip of a sword wielded thoughtlessly by those in power. The bigger the sword, the more so.”
President Lee added, “Why do we engage in politics? That is a question those of us in politics must continually ask ourselves.”
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter