Lee Jae-myung: "We Will Start Completely Anew... As 'Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party'"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, expressed his determination.
[Photo by Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party presidential candidate, Facebook page capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, vowed to "go back to the beginning and start completely anew" with a determination for reform.

On the 21st, Lee posted on his Facebook under the title "I will leave only the responsibility for winning the presidential election and start completely anew," expressing this resolve. Lee said, "Why did you choose Lee Jae-myung as the ruling party's presidential candidate?" and added, "If I think about it, it must be because I sincerely cared only for the people, never lied, always kept my promises, and used the authority entrusted to me solely for the benefit of the sovereign people."

Lee admitted, "However, I did not fully embrace that mindset," and confessed, "I think I gradually became confined within the large vessel called the Democratic Party of Korea." He continued, "I will review all the wrongs, shortcomings, and disappointments, admit mistakes where I was wrong, and acknowledge where I was lacking," and pledged, "I will truly discard everything with a humble attitude and start anew."

He said, "I will devote myself entirely, leaving only the responsibility to win next year's presidential election so that the country does not regress, does not return to the corrupt forces, and does not become a society that talks only about the past instead of the future," adding, "I will also restart the campaign committee. It will be restarted only with capable people who have loyalty to the people and passion." He emphasized, "I will make it not Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, but the Democratic Party of Lee Jae-myung."

Lee concluded his post by appealing for support, saying, "Only the people stand by me, Lee Jae-myung. Only the future of this country lies ahead of Lee Jae-myung. I trust you and will boldly move forward. Please join me."

Earlier on the same day, after paying respects at Daejeon National Cemetery and meeting with reporters, Lee said, "Since there is still an official campaign committee and the party's position, I will wait for the results except for my request for change and innovation within the party." Regarding the remarks about a "special task force," he said, "I never described it as a special task force, but there is criticism that the party's campaign committee is too heavy and slow." He also responded to the previous day's statement by Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, about delegating full authority for reform of the campaign committee, saying, "I have not heard that yet, so I will check."

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