Jang likens cash giveaways to sugar water for diabetics

Jan 29, 2026, 10:21 am

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People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk (second from right) and floor leader Song Eon-seok (first from right) visit a Hanaro Mart in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 28 to inspect prices, listening to an explanation while looking at onions. /Song Eui-joo

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk on Tuesday sharply criticized the government’s consumer coupon policy, saying cash handouts amid high inflation are “like giving sugar water to a diabetic.”

Jang made the remarks during a field meeting at the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation’s situation room in Seocho-gu, Seoul, marking his first official public activity since ending a hunger strike. He accused the government’s cash-based stimulus of fueling price pressures and undermining household finances.

“One cause of high inflation is that too many cash coupons are being released into the market,” Jang said. “Despite threatening the daily lives of ordinary people, handing out cash is like giving sugar water to a diabetic.”

He added that rising prices are eroding the “ordinary dinner table” that people rely on for everyday happiness, calling inflation “the root of many problems.” Jang urged the government to focus on stabilizing supply and prices, especially ahead of the holiday season, and pledged to bring solutions found on the ground back to the National Assembly in the form of policy proposals.

Jang’s visit came just two days after his discharge from hospital and was widely seen as an effort to gauge public sentiment firsthand as high exchange rates and price instability weigh on the economy. Political observers expect him to intensify attacks on the Lee Jae-myung administration’s economic policies.

The People Power Party has argued that recent stock market gains touted by the government—such as targets for the KOSPI and KOSDAQ—reflect a boom concentrated in specific sectors like semiconductors, while the broader cost-of-living pressures facing households remain severe. The party aims to sharpen a contrast between headline economic indicators and the realities of everyday life.

The move is also interpreted as part of a broader strategy ahead of the June 3 local elections, as Jang seeks to expand support beyond the party’s core base by appealing to voters sensitive to inflation. Party officials said they are considering launching a task force to craft alternative pledges focused on price stability and support for small business owners and the self-employed, reinforcing an image as a “livelihood-first” party.

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