Liberal Democratic Party(DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said the government should expand fiscal spending to ensure that money goes around in light of concerns of negative economic growth.

While stumping in Incheon on Wednesday, Lee accused rival candidates of twisting his recent explanation of the concept of economic vitalization, which highlights that the economy is about the circulation of money.

Lee said the government should expand its financial expenditure while giving laborers authority to take collective action, thereby enabling them to fight for and win increased wages, leading to more spending, job creation, and corporate vitalization.

The DP candidate slammed those who cast concern over the national debt surpassing one quadrillion won, or around 720 billion U.S. dollars, saying it is less than 50 percent of the gross domestic product(GDP), relatively lower than other countries.

Lee claimed that while other countries supported their economy and citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing their sovereign debt, South Korea only lent people money, which resulted in a skyrocketing debt among small businesses and households.