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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, left, speaks during a press day event held by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in which its presidential contenders pledged a fair competition and answered questions regarding their policy promises, held at the Glad Hotel on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
Lee officially declares his presidential bid
By Jung Da-min
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has launched his bid to become the next president vowing to tackle the inequality and unfairness he said were deeply rooted in Korean society.
Lee, the front-runner among nine presidential contenders from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), officially announced his bid, Thursday, in a pre-recorded video released through online channels including YouTube and Facebook.
He vowed to push forward a strong policy drive to revamp the country's stagnating economy, saying overcoming chronic problems of unfair practices and economic polarization would be his main agenda if he becomes the next president. The presidential election is slated for March 9.
"Leading the economy is the responsibility of the private sector and the market, but it is difficult for private companies and the market to handle massive industrial restructuring in an era of great transformation. Like the New Deal project during the Great Depression, the public sector should pave the way for the private sector to make new investments and produce innovation," Lee said.
"Realizing a society where basic economic rights are guaranteed and everyone enjoys minimum economic prosperity, on the basis of securing fairness, alleviating inequality and polarization and expanding welfare, is the only way to achieve sustainable growth and a better life for the people."
Lee said he would create quality jobs through a breakthrough transition in industry in the high-tech era, while also introducing a universal basic income for the people, a policy he has long promoted during his political career.
He also vowed to expand support for those in the fields of culture and arts, and work to establish a so-called "peace economy" on the Korean Peninsula by cooperating with neighboring countries including North Korea.
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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, a strong presidential hopeful from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), officially announces his presidential bid in this video released Thursday through online channels. Courtesy of Lee Jae-myung's election camp |
Born to a poor farming family in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, he became a factory worker when he was 12 years old after his family moved to Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. While working in factories, he sustained many injuries, which left him with a permanently bent arm.
He managed to enter Chung-Ang University's law department by receiving a scholarship, and passed the bar exam in 1986, becoming a lawyer who promoted the rights of workers.
In 2005, he joined then-ruling Uri Party, a predecessor of the DPK. After several election failures, he became the mayor of Seongnam in his second bid for the post in 2010, and was re-elected in 2014. He made a presidential bid in 2017 after former President Park Geun-hye was impeached on corruption allegations but lost to current President Moon Jae-in in the DPK's primary. He was elected Gyeonggi Province governor in 2018.
Lee has been considered one of the strongest DPK contenders not only because of his dramatic life story of a factory worker becoming a lawyer and then a strong politician, but also due to his straightforwardness when talking about thorny social issues and strong policies, which have led to him enjoying high public support. While serving as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor, he has pushed ahead many welfare policies, which caused controversy at the beginning but were later adopted by other local governments.
In recent polls on presidential hopefuls, Lee has ranked second, trailing former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who has become a strong contender for the opposition bloc after his resignation from the top prosecution post in early March.
While Lee is the leading presidential hopeful among other potential contenders of the DPK, he faces challenges within the party as many DPK members who support other potential contenders such as former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Rep. Lee Kwang-jae and former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon could form a coalition to counter his rise.
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