Lee Jung-mi Proclaiming 'Care Revolution': "Will Codify in Constitution... Also Include in Curriculum"

Promise to Establish Deputy Prime Minister for Care Society and Operate Care State Implementation Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Lee Jeong-mi, former leader of the Justice Party and a presidential candidate, announced on the 7th that she would become a "Care President," saying, "I will create a country where care and relationships take precedence in all living spaces."

On this day, Lee held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center and said, "Now is the time for the state and community to cooperate and care for each other," adding, "We will overcome the limitations of the 20th-century welfare state. Welfare based on charitable in-kind or cash benefits and welfare states relying on numbers and statistics cannot solve inequality."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

First, Lee said, "Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which has been used as an indicator of the people's lives, has ignored the value of unpaid care work," and added, "We will replace the GDP indicator with a 'quality of life improvement index' based on happiness promotion."

She expressed, "Re-defining the value of care work will be the top priority of national policy," and "We will codify in the constitution that care is a public value and a fundamental value for the people, society, and the state." She also added that she would institutionalize care education in the compulsory education curriculum for elementary and secondary schools.

Additionally, she promised to establish a Vice Minister of Care Society and operate a Care State Implementation Group chaired by the Vice Minister of Care Society, including relevant ministers, private experts, and care workers. The Care State Implementation Group plans to establish a cooperative system with the Council of Provincial Governors and the Council of Provincial Education Superintendents to develop a strategy for creating a care state involving both the central government and local governments.

Along with this, she said she would build a solid care system by operating integrated care headquarters by metropolitan area, regional care centers by basic local governments, and care councils at the eup, myeon, and dong levels.

She stated, "To stably support the funding of the care system, we will operate the ‘Integrated Care Comprehensive Subsidy’ system and establish integrated funds in local governments." Furthermore, she explained that the scope of integrated care would be expanded beyond existing care systems limited to essential service areas to support citizens' leisure, culture, and social networks.

She also pledged efforts such as strengthening staffing standards for care facility workers and establishing care worker support centers by metropolitan units.

Lee also plans to realize a nationwide job guarantee system through 'participation income.' She said, "We will provide participation income to all who participate in the local community and care for neighbors and the environment." To this end, she plans to build 'care centers' by creating three care community spaces in every eup, myeon, and dong, focusing on two pillars: the Local New Deal and the Care New Deal. She also pledged to create 3.4 million relationship care and climate care jobs to realize the nationwide job guarantee system.

Lee emphasized, "Together with citizens, I will make it the goal of this era to build a society where 'I and we can be found through care' in this presidential election and become a care president who opens the era of the 'care revolution.'"

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