The Ruling Party's Leadership Race Kicks Off... Three Candidates Claim "I am the Right Person for Party Leader"

First Joint Rally in Jeju Today
Kim Bu-gyeom "Will Surely Fulfill 2-Year Party Leader Responsibility"
Park Ju-min "Opening an Era of Transition and Completing Reform"
Lee Nak-yeon "Leadership for Crisis Needed in Crisis"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The race for the Democratic Party of Korea's next leadership at the August 29 party convention officially began on the 25th.

Democratic Party candidates for party leader and Supreme Council member each appealed for support by presenting their policies and visions at the first joint speech session held at the Pacific Hotel Grand Ballroom in Jeju City.

The first to take the podium, candidate Kim Boo-kyum, stated, "I, Kim Boo-kyum, will fulfill the responsibility of a two-year party leader without fail," adding, "From the moment I become party leader, I will diligently prepare for the April by-elections."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He targeted his rival candidate Lee Nak-yeon, saying, "The party leader must be able to take all the criticism and arrows coming from public opinion and conservative media on behalf of presidential candidates or contenders. You cannot be cautious about this or that," and added, "A party leader who is a presidential candidate has to manage their approval ratings throughout the seven-month term, inevitably facing various dilemmas."

Candidate Kim emphasized, "A Democratic Party loved evenly across the nation has been a long-held dream, and the late Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun also dreamed of making the Democratic Party a genuine nationwide party," stressing, "I will devote all my efforts to successfully implementing the Korean-style New Deal and creating a Democratic Party that accelerates the realization of a responsible state that gives hope to all citizens."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The second speaker, candidate Park Joo-min, said, "Is it enough just to operate the National Assembly stably and manage the presidential election steadily?" adding, "Our duty now is to rescue the people suffering from the crisis, restore the economy, and prepare for a new era."

He continued, "I will hold social dialogues regularly for communication between the party and the people," promising, "We will open a new era of transition and overcome the current crisis by looking not only at the opposition but also at the people."

He emphasized again, "I will hold social dialogues regularly for communication between the party and the people," and said, "We will open a new era of transition and overcome the current crisis by looking not only at the opposition but also at the people. Together with the people, we will complete reforms without fear."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidate Lee Nak-yeon asserted that "crisis requires crisis leadership," positioning himself as the right person for party leader. He said, "Some ask me why I ran for party leader, why I want to serve for seven months, and why it has to be Lee Nak-yeon," adding, "Because it is a crisis. The people, the nation, the Moon Jae-in administration, and the Democratic Party are in difficulty. That is why I stepped forward."

He added, "The Democratic Party has taken its first unsteady steps as a major ruling party. The first regular National Assembly session as a major ruling party is ahead," and said, "Crisis requires crisis leadership. I will use my experience to lead the way in overcoming the crisis."

He also promised, "I will reform the Democratic Party," pledging, "I will mature it into a sensitive party that responds keenly to the pain of the vulnerable such as the elderly, women, youth, and low-income groups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.