Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung Launch Massive New Welfare Forum at Home... 20,000 Founders

'The Country That Protects My Life - Shinbokji Gyeonggi Forum' Officially Begins Activities
Fifth Nationwide Following Gwangju, Busan, Gangwon, and Chungnam

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and a leading candidate for the next presidential election, has launched a massive new welfare forum with over 20,000 founding members in the Gyeonggi region, the stronghold of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, signaling an expansion of his influence in the metropolitan area.

On the 23rd at 5 PM, attendees of the 'A Country That Protects My Life, New Welfare Gyeonggi Forum' held at the Gyeonggi Comprehensive Labor Welfare Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, are taking a commemorative photo. Fifteen Democratic Party members of the National Assembly, including former leader Lee Nak-yeon, Democratic Party Supreme Council member Jeon Hye-sook, Assemblyman Seol Hoon, and Assemblyman Park Kwang-on, attended. Photo by Lee Nak-yeon Office.

On the 23rd, the 'Country That Protects My Life - New Welfare Gyeonggi Forum (hereafter Gyeonggi Forum),' a support group in the Gyeonggi region aiming to elect former leader Lee as the next president, held a founding meeting at the Gyeonggi Comprehensive Labor Welfare Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, with more than 21,100 key figures from the region participating as founding members. This officially kicked off the activities to make 'Lee Nak-yeon President.' This number surpasses the 15,000 founding members of the Democratic Peace Plaza, the nationwide support organization for Governor Lee Jae-myung.

The launch of the Gyeonggi Forum is the fifth following the Gwangju Forum (8th), Busan Forum (10th), Gangwon Forum (21st), and Chungnam Forum (22nd). The New Welfare Forum supporting former leader Lee is scheduled to launch consecutively across all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide, with the total number of founding members expected to reach several hundred thousand.

Among the founding members of the Gyeonggi Forum are eight National Assembly members from the Gyeonggi region: Park Kwang-on (Suwon Jung), Yoon Young-chan (Seongnam Jungwon), Oh Young-hwan (Uijeongbu Gap), Seol Hoon (Bucheon Eul), Yang Ki-dae (Gwangmyeong), Hong Ki-won (Pyeongtaek Gap), Kim Cheol-min (Ansan Sangnok Eul), and Kim Ju-young (Gimpo Gap).

Additionally, 50 members of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly are listed as founding members, accounting for 38% of the total 132 assembly members. In comparison, 38 Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly members participated as founding members of Governor Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Peace Plaza. Furthermore, 78 local councilors from the Gyeonggi region also joined as founding members of the New Welfare Gyeonggi Forum, nearly 30% of the total 265 local councilors in the region. Only 10 local councilors from the Gyeonggi region were founding members of Governor Lee's Democratic Peace Plaza.

From the labor sector, founding members include Bae Kang-wook, former vice chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU); Kang Jin-myung, former senior vice chairman of the KCTU Service Federation; Kim Cheol-kwan, chairman of the Seoul Metro Union; and Jeong Yong-gu, former senior vice chairman of the Hwaseong Kia Motors Labor Union, along with current union chairpersons from companies based in Gyeonggi such as KT, Kia Motors, and Taekwang.

In academia, founding members include Kim Ki-eon, former president of Kyonggi University; Kim Seon-jae, professor of Business Administration at Sungkyul University; Lim Jae-jung, professor in the Department of Dance at Kyung Hee University; Heo Jeong-haeng, professor in the Department of Sports Security at Yeoju University; and Park Dong-myeong, executive director of the Korean Public Policy Association.

Other founding members include Lee Cheon-hwan, executive director of the Hankyoreh Unification Forum; Kim Sang-ho, secretary general of the Korea Voters Federation; Kim Sang-ho, president of the Korea Disabled Small Business Association Central Committee; Baek Geum-ok, president of the Korea-China-Japan Cultural Exchange Association; Kyung Man-ho, former president of the Korean Medical Association; Park Kwang-eun, former president of the Gyeonggi Oriental Medicine Association; Shin Dong-jin, president of the Gyeonggi Deaf Association; and Noh Jang-deok, president of the International Senior Model Association.

Meanwhile, in the founding declaration read by 20s youth representatives Jang Min-su and Kim Ha-young, the founding members stated, "As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic spreads national anxiety about life, the question of 'how the state will protect its citizens' is the spirit of the times for South Korea and the historic task for the next government succeeding the Moon Jae-in administration." They declared, "To this end, we will actively lead the realization of the values of the 'Country That Protects My Life, New Welfare Gyeonggi Forum,' policy development and implementation activities for the 2022 presidential and local elections, and efforts for local autonomy and regional balanced development."

Kim Ki-eon, former president of Kyonggi University and the representative founding member of the New Welfare Gyeonggi Forum, said, "To advance toward a developed South Korea, I fully agree with the new welfare state construction policy of our proven rational leader, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon." He added, "I also hope it will become a new hope for citizens struggling with COVID-19 and polarization."

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