Sim Sang-jung: "It Felt Unfair to Hold Me Equally Responsible as the Two Major Parties... I Will Return to My Original Intentions"

"Our Society's Absolute Majority Are Non-Mainstream"
"We Are Confident That the Path We Have Strived For Is the Path That Benefits Korea"

Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party's presidential candidate, is speaking at a discussion hosted by the Korea Regional Journalists Club held at the Forest Vision Center in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 24th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the Justice Party, expressed her determination by saying, "We (Justice Party) only have a small amount of power, so it was very unfair to be held equally responsible," but added, "I reflected that we should return to our original intention and be more devoted to standing by the suffering common people."

On the 24th, at a debate hosted by the Korea Regional Journalists Club in Yeouido, Seoul, Candidate Sim said, "(The progressive party) has been around for 20 years, and I have worked hard without looking away, even sacrificing time with my family, but looking back, inequality has deepened."

She continued, "I think I kept harboring a lot of resentment in my heart," and said, "The major parties did not use power for the people, but it was very unfair to hold us equally responsible. Because of that, we ended up blaming other parties and others."

She emphasized, "Some criticize that the Justice Party has returned to a minority strategy, but in our society, the non-mainstream is the absolute majority," adding, "I am confident that the path we have worked hard on is the path to the future of the Republic of Korea. We will compete confidently with other candidates."

Regarding the Justice Party's major pledge to introduce a 'four-day workweek,' she said, "It is time to make the reduction of working hours an important national agenda," and added, "In the process of realizing a nationwide four-day workweek, we will also be able to strengthen the basic rights of low-wage workers and those excluded from the Labor Standards Act."

On the 16th, the sixth day since the collapse accident at a newly built apartment in Seo-gu, Gwangju, Candidate Shim visited the accident site, met with the families of the missing, and encouraged the rescue workers before leaving the site. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Candidate Sim abruptly stopped her election campaign on the 12th and went into seclusion, but resumed her schedule after five days.

In an interview with a radio broadcast on the 18th, she diagnosed the current situation, saying, "The accumulated distrust over the disappointing image the party showed during the 'Cho Kuk incident' has not been recovered at all," and "In that process, the values and principles of the progressive party were greatly shaken."

Regarding the Justice Party's failure to express opposition to the appointment of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk in 2019, Candidate Sim bowed her head and said, "I think it was the most painful misjudgment in my 20 years in politics," adding, "There are many (progressive) citizens who supported us, but we greatly hurt their pride."

She added, "Now it is a 'disliked presidential election,' and Sim Sang-jung was also part of that dislike," and said, "Although I have never had moral issues or been involved in controversies over qualifications, citizens' lives have become difficult, and we deeply reflected on whether we showed the determination to break through this disliked election with the urgency that matches that desperation."

In response to the host's question that "this presidential election is being reported mainly centered on the two major parties to the extent that Candidate Sim does not get a chance to speak," she replied, "There are plenty of ways to communicate with the public through SNS, YouTube, etc.," and added, "We also thoroughly reflect on the fact that I and the party have not kept up."

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