Democratic Party Presidential Candidates Compete with 'Pro-Business' Moves... "Centrist Expansion"

On the First Day of Preliminary Candidate Registration, Most Schedules Related to Companies
Park Yong-jin Also Advocates Simultaneous Reduction of Corporate and Income Taxes

Former Prime Minister Jeong Se-gyun, a presidential candidate, and Lee Kwang-jae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, are shaking hands on the 28th at the Korea Exchange in Yeouido, Seoul, before announcing their unification efforts. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Democratic Party presidential candidates are competing to show pro-business moves. They see expansion to the moderate voter base as the key competitiveness in both the party primary and the general election, and are focusing on highlighting themselves as 'economic presidential candidates.'

This trend is clearly evident on the first day of Democratic Party presidential candidate registration on the 28th. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung will sign a win-win cooperation agreement at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the afternoon of the 28th to build infrastructure for eco-friendly vehicles and expand the introduction of future mobility with Hyundai Motor Company. Hyundai Motor Company President Gong Young-woon is expected to attend the event.

Governor Lee has consistently advocated himself as a 'pro-business politician,' saying "the issue of making a living is the most important" whenever he has the opportunity. This year, he personally visited SK Hynix semiconductor production lines, Yongin Juseong Engineering, and Pyeongtaek Farmate, a smart farm company. Last month, he visited Hyundai Motor and Kia Technology Research Institute, stating that "it is important to ensure that unreasonable and unnecessary regulations do not restrict free activities."

On the same day, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon visited the autonomous driving and electronic parts specialized company 'Mando Hella Electronics' (MHE) factory in Songdo, Incheon. Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae visited the Korea Exchange to jointly explore ways to revitalize the KOSDAQ market. The fact that the place where former Prime Minister Chung and lawmaker Lee announced their intention to unify was a symbolic location of the capital market is also a meaningful point.

Recently, lawmaker Lee emphasized on Facebook, "The Democratic Party must focus on the middle class, small and medium-sized enterprises, and small and medium-sized cities to expand the moderate voter base and put forward a candidate who can win."

Also, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin, who calls himself a 'Eoljuka' (someone who prioritizes making a living), declared the day before, "I will simultaneously pursue corporate vitality and expansion of the domestic market through corporate tax cuts for job creation and income tax cuts for working people." This was regarded as a breakthrough since the 'tax cut' card has been perceived as exclusive to conservatives.

On the same day, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, mentioned Park at the Supreme Council meeting, saying, "Among the Democratic Party candidates' (primary) rule struggles, there is one who stands out." Lee added, "It seems that a movement for change is being sensed even within the Democratic Party, which had been focused only on appealing to voters' sentiments."

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