Won Hee-ryong Officially Announces Presidential Bid... "I Will Create a Country of a Different 'Class'"

Jeju Province Governor Won Hee-ryong is declaring his candidacy for the 20th presidential election on the morning of the 25th. (Photo by Won's campaign team)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province, has officially declared his bid for the presidency.

On the morning of the 25th, Governor Won announced his candidacy for the 20th presidential election, stating, "The Won Hee-ryong administration will start by clearly distinguishing between what the state should and should not do," and added, "I will create a Korea of a different class, a Korea on a different level." This announcement was made through a non-face-to-face format on the YouTube channel 'Won Hee-ryong TV.'

Governor Won emphasized, "The country I dream of is one where the happiness of each citizen is precious," and "a country where the next generation lives better, where people, nature, and civilization coexist."

To realize the spirit of the times, 'fairness and innovation,' he presented 'national chance' and 'innovative growth' as vision strategies. The national chance means the state actively intervening to eliminate social disparities present throughout society. He plans to promote policies that provide opportunities in areas such as childcare, jobs, and education. Innovative growth reflects Governor Won's determination to boldly remove regulations that have tied the hands and feet of citizens and businesses to create groundbreaking jobs.

As his first pledge, Governor Won introduced the 'Bold Recovery Project' worth 100 trillion won. If elected president, he plans to invoke the 'Presidential Emergency Financial and Economic Order' granted by the constitution to secure a budget of 100 trillion won and fully support small business owners and self-employed individuals who suffered losses from COVID-19 with 50 trillion won in the first year of his term. Subsequently, he intends to reallocate 10 trillion won annually over five years to rebuild the survival foundation of small business owners and the self-employed.

Governor Won explained, "We will establish not only the methods to secure the necessary funds but also the repayment plan simultaneously," and added, "The bold recovery will not stop at survival recovery but will be designed to lead to structural transformation and productivity innovation in self-employment."

He cited his competitiveness as including conservative legitimacy combined with centrist expansion appeal, a perfect 5-0 election record against the Democratic Party, experience in both politics and administration, and proven morality through thorough self-management. Governor Won said, "I have consistently dedicated myself to conservative innovation for 20 years. I have much experience but no flaws," and explained, "When I became Governor of Jeju, I sold my apartment in Mok-dong, Seoul, not because I didn’t know it would increase by more than 1 billion won, but because I believed public officials should naturally do so."

In response to reporters' questions about how he plans to create a turnaround opportunity given that his current polling support is below 5%, Governor Won replied, "The People Power Party primary will begin in August, and there will be numerous verifications and debates. Through various preparation processes, I will concretely present to the public the vision and plans for how Korea should move forward and what kind of country to build," and added, "Once the primary intensifies, the focus of questions will shift to who can lead and build Korea well, and I believe the value of Won Hee-ryong will be rediscovered."

On the same day, after his candidacy announcement, Governor Won also spent time communicating with the general public on the metaverse platform 'Zepeto.'

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