[Interview] Lee Jung-mi "Justice Party, Time to Show 'New Identity'... In an Era of Loneliness, I Will Become a Care President"

"Even among party members, there is a desire for change"
"If I become president, I will hold social dialogues every week"

Lee Jung-mi, Justice Party presidential primary candidate. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Former Justice Party leader and presidential candidate Lee Jeong-mi emphasized, "We must not be trapped in the framework of being perceived as a party of a specific individual. It is time to show a 'new product'." She stated that the Justice Party presidential candidate can transcend the era symbolized by Shim Sang-jung and demonstrate governing capability. She defined the hardships permeating Korean society with the keyword 'loneliness' and proclaimed herself as the 'Care President.'

In an interview with Asia Economy on the 7th, Lee said, "The Justice Party is a party that dreams of taking power, and the people are closely watching whether it has the ability to govern," adding, "We need to show that there are capable people other than that person." She referred to herself as a so-called 'verified new face.' She said, "I served as party leader for two years (2017?19) and received evaluations that I led the party better than ever, and we also successfully conducted local elections," adding, "I feel that there is now a desire for change among party members."

Unlike the major candidates from ruling and opposition parties who mainly focus on 'growth' or 'fairness' as core agendas, she adopted 'loneliness and care' as her catchphrase. It is quite different from the language of established politics.

Lee said, "South Korea is now an era of loneliness," pointing out, "If you fail, you have to survive on your own without anyone's help. The suicide rate is the highest, especially among the youth. Without fundamentally solving these problems, society cannot sustain itself."

She also recalled a 2016 report by the National Assembly Research Service analyzing the OECD social integration index, which showed that Korea scored 0.2 out of 10 in the 'social relationships' category, ranking last. About 30% answered that they were isolated when asked if they had family or friends to rely on when in trouble.

She pledged to move toward a society where everyone cares for each other and claimed that about one million jobs could be created in the process. Lee said, "The state must come up with measures on how to embrace and support people, and the same philosophy should apply to environmental issues," adding, "Using GDP as a national indicator hides the problems that need to be solved, so it should be stopped. I will be a president who sets improving quality of life as the national indicator and operates the budget accordingly."

Examples of care jobs include managing renewable energy projects such as solar power, integrated care centers for vulnerable groups like the elderly, and shared spaces for youth. Lee said, "Currently, care is often provided by middle-aged female activists volunteering unpaid, which is unsustainable. If we create one million jobs, we can establish the framework of a care society." She estimates the necessary funding at about 40 trillion won but explained that since existing unemployment-related budgets can be adjusted, the actual increase in the budget will not be significant.

She also emphasized job expansion through social dialogue.

Lee said, "In 2019, the Busan subway union proposed creating about 500 youth jobs in exchange for freezing wages," adding, "Ultimately, consensus through social dialogue is most important. If I become president, I will establish a Social Dialogue Day once a week for a year, bringing together business and government officials, labor union representatives, self-employed people, and representatives of lower-income groups. We will patiently reach agreements."

Regarding real estate issues, she said, "So far, real estate wealthy people have been making real estate policies. It was like leaving fish to the cat," adding, "The first task is to impose a one-household-one-home obligation on senior officials involved in real estate policy to prevent conflicts of interest, and the problem of conglomerates holding too much land must also be corrected." The Justice Party is focusing on demanding the 'Land Excess Profit Tax Act,' which imposes taxes on excess gains exceeding average land price increases based on the concept of land public ownership.

Lee also viewed decentralization as one of the fundamental solutions to real estate problems. She said, "We need to implement half-price tuition for local national and public universities and concentrate educational finances. We should create job quotas to distribute jobs."

She also criticized the Democratic Party of Korea. Lee said, "The power of the candlelight protests was the energy for bold reform, but it was far too insufficient," adding, "The Democratic Party prioritizes compromise on people's livelihood issues but pushes through with 180 seats when it concerns their own interests. Even the pledge of a 10,000 won minimum wage was not achieved and only drew criticism from everyone. I wonder if there was no one to program policies properly in the Moon Jae-in administration."

Lee Jung-mi, Justice Party Presidential Primary Candidate. / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Lee Jung-mi, Justice Party presidential primary candidate. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

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