'Longest-Serving Prime Minister of Moon Administration' Lee Nak-yeon Announces Presidential Bid "Will Restore Wounded Fairness"

Frequent Use of 'Lack' and 'Apology' Expressions
Emphasis on Democratic Party's Legitimate Succession

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The first statement of former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon’s presidential bid can be summarized as ‘recovery to pre-COVID-19 times’ and ‘strengthening the middle class’ based on that. On the 5th, when he declared his candidacy, he said, "I will restore the wounded fairness and create a country that protects my life." He also frequently used expressions such as ‘insufficient’ and ‘sorry,’ seemingly to emphasize his representative image of ‘calmness’ and ‘humility.’ However, his campaign message was concisely organized into five points, reflecting his background as a journalist.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the video declaration of candidacy conducted non-face-to-face through YouTube Lee Nak-yeon TV on the same day, former leader Lee diagnosed, "As the gap in our society widened, inequality that was growing became even greater due to COVID-19," and expressed his reason for running by saying, "It is urgent to alleviate inequality and restore the wounded fairness." He also defined South Korea as an ‘era of anxiety’ and emphasized, "The state must protect the lives of each and every citizen. I will undertake the task of creating a country that protects my life."

To this end, he presented five blueprints: new welfare, middle-class economy, constitutional amendment, soft power nation diplomacy, and cultural powerhouse. Among these, new welfare is Lee’s core pledge.

Lee said, "The starting point of new welfare is to ensure that everyone is guaranteed a minimum standard of living as a human being." He added that welfare issues will be addressed in eight areas including income, housing, labor, education, healthcare, care, culture, and environment, aiming for all citizens to live at a middle-class level by 2030.

Regarding the middle-class economy, he stated that the proportion of the middle class, currently at 57%, will be increased to 70%, and social mobility will be activated to prevent the inheritance of ‘gold spoons’ and ‘dirt spoons’ (privileged and underprivileged statuses).

Furthermore, he pledged to establish the rights to life, safety, and housing in the constitution and to create constitutional grounds for balanced development between the metropolitan area and local regions. He particularly mentioned the ‘concept of land publicness’ in this constitutional amendment, saying, "We must share the profits gained from land and reduce social inequality."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During the declaration of candidacy, Lee also said, "I have served three presidents from the Democratic Party," seemingly emphasizing that he is the legitimate heir of the Democratic Party.

Lee entered politics after serving as a close aide (dedicated reporter) to the late President Kim Dae-jung in 1987 and was recruited by Kim. He is from Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do, and has served five terms as a member of the National Assembly and as governor of Jeonnam. He was the spokesperson for the late President Roh Moo-hyun during the presidential campaign and served as the first and longest-serving prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration. Expanding his political stature, Lee has been leading the race as the top presidential candidate, even earning the nickname ‘Eodaenak’ (meaning ‘Lee Nak-yeon is the inevitable trend’) since August last year. However, after his term as party leader, he has fallen to second place in support within the ruling party, trailing Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of pardon debates.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, a rival in the preliminary race, also attended the declaration event, drawing attention. The overall management of Lee’s campaign, named ‘Pilyeon Camp,’ is led by five-term lawmaker Seol Hoon. After announcing his candidacy statement in the morning, Lee’s first schedule was to pay respects at the National Cemetery in Dongjak-dong, Seoul, and in the evening, he will participate in the second TV debate for Democratic Party preliminary candidates.

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