The formation of the special committee of the National Assembly, the first step has been taken… Breaking through the national resistance ‘Cheopcheopsan’
Is it possible to give up ‘vote in front of your eyes’, such as the opposition and youth groups…與 Appeals for “Great Social Compromise”
With the establishment of the Special Committee on Pension Reform in the second half of the 21st National Assembly on the 22nd, attention is focused on whether it will be able to speed up the reform of the national pension system, which is in crisis of depletion of funds.
The ruling and opposition parties reached an agreement on the formation of a special committee to discuss reform measures such as pension finance stabilization and the four major public pensions as they concluded negotiations on the original composition on the same day.
The People’s Power decided to take over the chairperson, and it was decided to consist of 13 members, including 6 Democrats, 6 People’s Power, and 1 non-negotiating group.
In particular, President Yoon Seok-yeol emphasized that pension reform, along with labor and education reform, was “a matter ordered by the people” at a workshop for ministers and vice-ministers held on the same day. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to accelerate further.
At a press conference on the 100th day of the inauguration of the floor leader on the 17th, Kwon Seong-dong, acting leader and floor leader of the ruling People’s Power, also said, “The national pension has become a time bomb in Korean society.” “The ruling and opposition parties should put a bell around the cat’s neck together.” said
As Acting Kwon’s message is that the opposition and opposition parties should focus the legislative power of the National Assembly on a bipartisan basis and achieve a great social compromise on pension reform, the ruling party is expected to focus more on the activities of the special pension committee.
Opposition parties also agree on the urgency of discussing pension reform.
Both the ruling and opposition parties share a common view of structural problems and concerns that the National Pension Fund will soon run out due to a decrease in the working-age population, and there is no significant difference in the necessity of reform.
However, as Kwon used the expression ‘put a bell on the cat’s neck’, we cannot be optimistic that the discussion will go smoothly.
In particular, the fact that pension reform is not ‘popular’ among voters is considered a practical difficulty.
In the long run, reforms must be carried out in such a way that the burden increases and the benefits decrease.
Politicians who have no choice but to be conscious of votes acknowledge the necessity of pension reform, but it is not easy to implement it.
It is for the same reason that pension reform is a ‘hot potato’ in each country that operates a public pension system.
In fact, since the establishment of the National Pension Fund, reforms have been carried out only twice.
1998 was the first, and 2007, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, was the second and last.
All fiscal stabilization reforms were pursued in line with the reduction in the amount of receipts, and as a result, the function of guaranteeing old-age income became weak.
Even following that, the low fertility and aging population continue and the financial situation of the fund is getting worse, but reform has been at a standstill for the past 15 years or so.
Even if the discussion begins with difficulty, difficulties await in Mt.
Although the opposition and opposition parties agree on the big direction of reform, coordination is not easy as everyone’s interests are divided over who, when, and at what point will benefit or suffer more.
An increase in insurance rates is inevitable to solve the financial problems of the fund raised right away, but the extent of the increase, the scope and duration of the insurance premium rate are not easy issues one by one.
In the long run, the age at which insurance recipients are eligible and the size (amount) of insurance may be controversial.
Here, the direction of pension reform suggested by President Yoon is to create a ‘pay more and receive less’ structure if simplified. have.
Political parties in the opposition and opposition parties who have recently realized the ‘power’ of youth votes have no choice but to hesitate.
For this reason, there are many skeptics as to whether discussions on pension reform can proceed quickly even if the National Assembly special committee on pensions is formed this time.
This fact was also grounded in the fact that President Yoon and the power of the people emphasized the discussion structure in which all the people participate, such as the ‘council of opposition parties’ and ‘great social compromise’ in the daily discussions on pension reform.
Acting Kwon emphasized in a speech by the representative of a negotiating group at the National Assembly the day before, that “a great social compromise is needed beyond the consensus of the ruling and opposition parties” regarding pension reform. “The social compromise is very important because it has no choice but to share the cost,” he emphasized.
“It takes a lot of time,” Kwon said.
We are expecting that a great compromise will be reached through a very difficult process,” he said.
/yunhap news
