Kim Moon-soo, a leading presidential candidate for the People Power Party, officially announced his candidacy on the 9th. The former Minister of Employment and Labor unveiled his slogan, "Newly Forward! Toward a Great Korea," emphasizing his ambition to establish the identity of a liberal democratic Republic of Korea and to be "a candidate who can defeat Lee Jae-myung" while advocating for "politics of grand integration and a grand coalition."
On the morning of the same day, at 10 a.m., the former Minister held a press conference at the National Assembly, declaring, "I will establish the identity of a liberal democratic Republic of Korea and make Korea even greater."
The former Minister emphasized, "The Constitutional Court impeached the President of the Republic of Korea, elected by the people. Since the impeachment was the final decision made within the constitutional order, we have no choice but to accept the outcome. We cannot stop here. Let’s fight again and win."
He then put "the defense of the liberal democratic system" at the forefront. The former Minister diagnosed, "The success story of the Republic of Korea lies in liberal democracy," adding, "Nonetheless, there are forces in our society that deny liberal democracy and shake the foundations of the nation, insisting only on pro-North Korea, anti-American, pro-China, and anti-corporation policies under the banner of people’s democracy."
He continued, "We must confront and overcome the forces that deny the great achievements of the Republic of Korea. I will not back down against the forces that seek to undermine our national identity in this war of systems."
He also announced his aim to create "a vibrant economy and a happy Republic of Korea." The former Minister stated, "Through bold innovation and reform in capital, labor, and technology, I will lead the economy of the Republic of Korea to a new leap forward." He added, "I will expand artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and investment to elevate our country to be among the top six in the global AI rankings, alongside the U.S. and China, as an AI era G3 nation. I will invest boldly in ventures and startups, innovate financial regulations, and make Korea a country where the spirit of entrepreneurship thrives. I will bring advanced industries to the provinces and make them the center of the regional economic zone."
He noted, "I will achieve balanced development through innovations in education, culture, and healthcare in the provinces, and through balanced development, I will solve the issues of low birth rates and aging. To reduce the burden of private education costs, I will introduce an AI-based personalized learning system to guarantee fair educational opportunities for everyone."
As social commitments, he proposed pushing for pension reform, re-examining medical reform from square one, and expanding support for the socially weak. The former Minister remarked on pension reform, "I will reform the National Pension System to ensure that the burdens on the fathers' generation are not passed onto the youth. I will completely resolve the medical reform issues that have caused inconvenience to the people after a thorough re-evaluation from the beginning."
He promised, "I will care for the socially weak by expanding unemployment benefits, strengthening work incentives, and broadening the basic livelihood guarantee. To support youth entrepreneurship, I will expand entrepreneurship subsidies, tax benefits, and entrepreneurship education, and dramatically enhance flexible working systems and childcare support so that women can work without career interruption."
In the fields of diplomacy and security, he stated, "In response to North Korea’s nuclear threats, I will acquire nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities and develop nuclear-powered submarines to become a global leader defending freedom and human rights." He added, "I will comprehensively negotiate the defense cost-sharing issue with the Trump administration and nuclear fuel reprocessing issues to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and ensure national safety."
He also stated that he would actively pursue political reform centered around "constitutional amendment." The former Minister declared, "I am someone who even went to prison to fight for direct presidential elections. I will actively pursue a constitutional amendment that gathers the hopes of the people while maintaining direct presidential elections."
He emphasized the need to distinguish himself from Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stating, "I have lived a life caring for the weak throughout my life. I have worked passionately at the lowest levels. With the belief that I must be clean to stand before others, I have never taken illicit money. My entire wealth consists of just a 24-pyung national rental apartment in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and some deposits."
He said, "At one time, I dreamed of creating a world where workers and the poor live well through a revolution. Even in prison, I believed capitalism would fail, but the market economy developed dynamically, and Korea achieved both industrialization and democratization. It was only when I turned 40 that I gave up the path of a revolutionary after witnessing the collapse of communist countries." He continued, "On the political front, I have been at the forefront of defending liberal democracy and market economy, fighting whenever the left in this land wrapped anti-American sentiment in nationalism and disguised socialism as universal welfare and cash distribution populism as economic recovery."
He emphasized, "It is fitting for me, Kim Moon-soo, who has nothing and clean hands, to face off against Lee Jae-myung, who is on trial for 12 charges. Only I, Kim Moon-soo, who has never been called to the prosecution for money issues, can do this. Only I, Kim Moon-soo, who does not lie, can do this. Only I, Kim Moon-soo, who fights properly, can do this," adding, "I will certainly correct the Democratic Party of Lee Jae-myung, which seeks to lead Korea into chaos and destruction with lies and sweet words."
The former Minister remarked, "Right now, the Republic of Korea is in turmoil like it has never experienced before. Whether through grand integration or a grand coalition, we must do whatever is necessary for the country to prosper. Let’s come together and create a great Republic of Korea."