Lee Jae-myung, Who Repeated "Crisis" 19 Times and "Opportunity" 13 Times, Says "Though a Dirt Spoon Outsider, I Can Change South Korea"

"Unfairness, polarization, and opportunity poverty caused by low growth are the causes of the crisis"
"Fair countries prospered, unfair countries perished"
"Society should enjoy at least minimal economic prosperity"
"Strong economic policies turn the great transition crisis into an opportunity"

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who officially declared his candidacy for the presidential election, is visiting the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 1st, paying respects at the Memorial Tower. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, officially announced his candidacy for the 20th presidential election on the 1st. In the approximately 14 minutes and 10 seconds video and the 14-page declaration he released, the words most frequently used were ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity.’ The word ‘crisis’ appeared 19 times, the highest among all words, and ‘opportunity’ appeared 13 times. ‘Fairness’ and ‘growth’ appeared 13 and 11 times respectively. The words ‘sovereignty,’ ‘investment’ (4 times), and ‘reform’ (3 times) were also frequently mentioned.

Governor Lee said, "Only those who have overcome crises can overcome crises," and added, "Although I am from the underprivileged non-mainstream group with more crises, I, Lee Jae-myung, who have turned crises into opportunities and achieved results, am the one who can transform the Republic of Korea into a hopeful nation."

He also referred to the current crisis as ‘opportunity poverty caused by low growth’ and ‘survival of the fittest in infinite competition.’ To overcome this, he emphasized the need to push reform policies with strong driving force. He said, "We must cut the unsolvable knots and make paths in the wilderness where there are no roads," and added, "Choosing the most efficient policy among numerous policies is a matter of courage and determination, and reform policies can only succeed with strong driving force."

He continued, "The future lies in a country where following the rules does not cause losses and where there are no unfair people or unfair regions," emphasizing, "In addition to securing fairness, alleviating inequality and polarization, and expanding welfare, economic basic rights must be guaranteed to enable sustainable growth."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who officially declared his candidacy for the presidential election, visited the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 1st. After paying respects at the Memorial Tower, he left a guestbook entry. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Regarding economic policy, he said, "Strong economic policies turn the crisis of great transformation into an opportunity," and added, "(The economy) belongs to the private sector and the market, but in the era of great transformation, large-scale restructuring of the industrial economy is difficult to handle by private companies and the market alone. The public sector must pave the way so that the private sector can boldly invest and innovate."

After announcing his candidacy, Governor Lee visited the National Seoul National Cemetery and wrote in the guestbook, "I will turn the crisis of transformation into an opportunity for leap."

Meanwhile, eight candidates running for the presidential election, including Governor Lee (Lee Nak-yeon, Choo Mi-ae, Park Yong-jin, Chung Sye-kyun, Choi Moon-soon, Kim Du-kwan, Lee Kwang-jae, Yang Seung-jo), will gather for the first time at the ‘Pledge for Fair Election and Press Day’ event held in Yeouido, Seoul. Governor Lee attended the press day and in the afternoon visited Yurim Seowon in Andong, Gyeongbuk, the birthplace of poet Lee Yuk-sa, and his father’s grave.

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