[Exclusive] "I am a tenant" Yoon Hee-sook announces candidacy for People Power Party presidential primary

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Representative Yoon Hee-sook has announced her intention to run in the People Power Party's presidential primary.

On the 2nd, Representative Yoon held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office to declare her candidacy for the presidential election, stating, "This election must end the 'you die, I live' style of politics and restore the essence of democracy," and added, "It must be an election that drives hypocrites who only verbally call for coexistence while dividing people out of history."

As a first-term lawmaker and economist, she gained attention last July with her National Assembly speech starting with "I am a tenant." Representative Yoon emphasized, "In this uncertain era where no one knows which country will decline or leap forward due to the 4th Industrial Revolution, we must abolish all regulations that exist only in our country but not in competing countries. We must wholeheartedly and with full effort reform to unblock the clogged lifeblood of the Korean economy to survive."

Regarding youth issues, Representative Yoon diagnosed, "The once natural life of saving salary to buy a home, educate children, and prepare for retirement is no longer guaranteed. Since there are no opportunities to rise, the gap between gold spoons and dirt spoons cannot be closed. This is the vulnerable spot and thorn of our era."

With Representative Yoon's declaration, the total number of candidates expressing their intention to run in the People Power Party primary has reached four, including Representative Ha Tae-kyung, former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo, and former United Future Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn.

Below is the full text of the declaration of candidacy.

With Hope! Toward the Future!

Dear fellow citizens,

I stand here to declare my candidacy for the 20th presidential election.

I have only been in politics for one year.

Many may doubt whether I can take responsibility for such a critical position as president with just one year of experience.

However, in the political arena I have seen, there was no true politics.

Only political tactics to maintain power existed.

Recently, when an opposition candidate emerged, the ruling party leader openly said he was preparing a background check file. This would be condemned even in an elementary school class president election.

If reality politics means "No matter how petty or shameful the act, as long as it maintains power," then wouldn't it be better to have no political experience?

I will enter the people with thoughts and visions about what politics should originally be and what must be solved now.

My mother grew up in a small village by the Nakdong River.

When Typhoon Sarah struck the southern Korean Peninsula in 1959, washing away all the fields, my mother's dreams were also swept away. She gave up her hope of further education and married into a village across the river to reduce the family burden. The young couple moved to Seoul in search of jobs. Raising four children, my mother constantly vowed, "I will make sure my children do not give up on education like I did, and live better lives than I did." My parents' wish was fulfilled. During the dazzling economic growth, the industrialization generation raised children who lived better lives than themselves.

"I wanted to live like you kids too," is a phrase my 80-year-old mother often says this year.

What about today's youth?

As the economy declines, opportunities have disappeared. The once natural life of saving salary to buy a home, educate children, and prepare for retirement is no longer guaranteed. Since there are no opportunities to rise, the gap between gold spoons and dirt spoons cannot be closed. This is the vulnerable spot and thorn of our era.

Politics must devote all its strength to identifying and removing these vulnerabilities and thorns of the era.

However, so-called democratization forces have ignored such politics and only divided the people to maintain their own power. They mislead by saying politics is "you die, I live," and have repeatedly engaged in illegal acts and double standards. Even 30 years after achieving democratization, we face the absurd situation where people crave rule of law and democracy.

A proper government should have said "Let's unite" in the face of a world where technology and industrial landscapes are shifting like an earthquake. It should have appealed, "Let's concede vested interests." It should have persuaded the people, "Let's reform to give opportunities to the youth."

In the past 20 years, the number of newborns has halved.

How can people have children and raise them without hope?

During the past three years of this government, two million full-time jobs have disappeared.

How can there be hope without opportunities?

The way to create jobs and hope is undoubtedly to build an economy that is attractive for investment and innovation. To do this, we must examine what is wrong within us, peel off calluses, and tighten our belts.

Such reforms are essentially fights against vested interests and aristocratic labor unions. It is bound to be difficult. However, talking only about rosy prospects without mentioning painful reforms is not politics but deception.

The Moon Jae-in administration has not carried out any reforms.

It has not even mentioned labor reform, public sector reform, or education reform. It has even neglected the soon-to-be-depleted National Pension.

To appease the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which helped bring their regime to power, they raised the minimum wage by 30% in two years, turning many young people's jobs into automatic ordering machines. At this point, the government is a job destroyer, not a government. Yet they insisted on income-led growth.

They shattered the dream of homeownership by telling people to give up illusions about apartments and even dried up the rental market.

The only thing they persistently did was to borrow and distribute money. Since the establishment of the Republic of Korea government until the Park Geun-hye administration, the national debt accumulated to 660 trillion won, and this government has piled up two-thirds of that amount anew. They have burdened the youth with job destruction and debt.

Thus, they have fully opened the door to even more malignant populism.

The current leading candidate of the ruling party promises to distribute taxes to all citizens, rich or poor, to grow the economy. Although Korea ranks ninth in the world economy, there are still poor elderly people who collect recyclables. Despite this heavy burden on the hearts of our people, they plan to distribute money equally and pursue tax-led growth. After ruining the economy with income-led growth, how foolish do they think the people are to repeat such actions?

The 4th Industrial Revolution brings an era of uncertainty about which countries will decline and which will leap forward. We must change ourselves to change tomorrow.

With the mindset of "abolishing all regulations that exist only in our country but not in competing countries and unblocking the clogged lifeblood of the Korean economy," we must wholeheartedly and with full effort reform to survive. I will build a hopeful country where high-tech manufacturing industries overflow with good jobs, where service industries are advanced and life is enjoyable and convenient, a startup paradise full of dynamism and leaps, a country of cultural content admired worldwide, and where everyone can run freely.

Hope must arise for positive influence to spread.

Only when we can see ahead can we warmly care for those worse off than ourselves. Only after running freely under fair rules do we realize that success is not only due to our own abilities but also luck. Treating vulnerabilities and removing thorns will make society healthy.

This election must end the 'you die, I live' politics and restore the essence of democracy.

It must be an election that drives hypocrites who only verbally call for coexistence while dividing people out of history.

It must be an election that takes power away from the Taliban who ruin people's lives with barren ideology.

It must be an election that holds accountable the conservative forces who, disguised as progressives, only side with vested labor unions and block reforms.

It must be an election of harmony that ends regional, generational, and gender conflicts created by politics.

Though the process may be painful, I will cut away the calluses of the economy and create new opportunities.

I will open the path where dreams can be achieved and hopes can be gained.

I will build a country that supports and encourages those who challenge and fail.

I will build a country that does not pass burdens onto future generations.

I will build a country where youth speak of hope and all citizens believe in a better tomorrow than today.

Dear citizens, each of you, please raise your voices and gather your influence.

I will spend an era with you and open a new era.

Thank you.

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