Seoul mayor proposes public poll on free school meals

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon proposed Monday to the main opposition Democratic Party conducting a poll on providing free lunches to public school students in the capital.

“Seoul`s administration is being held back by the free lunch program since the Seoul Metropolitan Council cut the budget for 220 key projects worth 391.2 billion won (348 U.S. million dollars)," Oh told a news conference on his proposed survey.

A public poll requires approval by the council’s Democratic Party members and can proceed only if more than half of the combined 114 council members participate in the voting with approval of more than two-thirds.

Oh said he will get signatures from at least 418,005 citizens (5 percent of the city`s 8.37 million registered voters) should the party oppose his proposal. “I want to ask the opinions of Seoul citizens on the Democratic Party’s free meal program and the city’s proposal to gradually expand free meals to the bottom half of households by 2014,” he said.

The mayor blasted the Democratic Party’s welfare policy as “a populist welfare tsunami.”

“The Democratic Party seduced voters in the June 2 local elections with ‘free’ welfare and is now making reckless promises of free medical treatment and childcare. This year’s national budget is 309 trillion won (274 billion dollars), and the Democratic Party’s free welfare programs will cost 24.3 trillion won (21.5 billion dollars),” he said.

“The Democratic Party is trying to hide the inconvenient truth of higher taxes. Unconditional acceptance of welfare populism can send Korea into crisis, and it takes courage to say no to politicians who lie.”

City council member Oh Seung-rok, a Democratic Party spokesman brushed off the mayor`s criticism, however. “Mayor Oh is trying to cover up neglect of duty in city administration through a public poll. Local budgets have not been allocated to conduct public polls, and Mayor Oh has no authority to hold polls since certain schools are about to implement the program.”

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