South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung are expected to meet for the first time this week, a rare concession by Yoon after his party’s election defeat earlier this month, and a key item on the agenda will likely be Lee’s proposal to provide approximately $180 (250,000 won) to every citizen.

It remains to be seen whether Yoon and Lee will be able to reach an agreement on this proposal, which Lee estimates will cost about $9.5 billion (13 trillion won), but experts argue that, if adopted, such cash handouts could have an array of unintended consequences, including exacerbating existing economic challenges like inflation.