by Sarath Davala 

(photo taken at the BIEN Congress 2023 in Seoul, South Korea) 

Something historical is happening in South Korea now. For Koreans of course, but equally importantly, for the global basic income movement. Lee Jae Myung who was voted to power as the President of South Korea in the first week of June 2025 has been an ardent supporter of Basic Income and has attended and addressed several of BIEN Congresses and conferences. Basic Income Korean Network (BIKN) has been working closely with him ever since he has been the Mayor of Seongnam city where he introduced the ‘Youth Dividend’ – unconditional cash given to everyone in a specific age group – 18 to 21. Subsequently as the Governor of Gyeonggi province, he introduced several basic-income-like schemes and experiments.

Hyosang Ahn, the President of Basic Income Korea Network reflects on the prospects of basic income implementation in South Korea in the coming years.

In his reflection, Hyosang mentions Lee Jae Myung’s vision of a ‘Basic Society’ which was his 2025 election manifesto. We are attaching that document as well for your reference.

Will this be a turning point in the basic income movement in Korea? What will be the ripple effects of this development on the rest of the world? Only time will tell. 

In the meantime, we as a basic income community stand by BIKN in their efforts to realise our collective vision of building a basic income society.

We congratulate President Lee Jae Myung and wish him well whole heartedly and extend our support to his efforts in making Korean society a role model for the rest of the world.

Below: An Open Letter from Basic Income Korean Network. Also included: an English translation and original Korean copy of Lee Jae Myung’s Vision for a Basic Society:

South Korea BIKN Report June 2025Download