Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential primary candidate, announced public health care and climate-related pledges for the 21st presidential election on the 22nd. In the medical sector, he proposed rationalizing the number of medical students and establishing a public medical school, while in the climate sector, he emphasized greenhouse gas reduction and the closure of coal power plants.
The candidate noted on Facebook that "gaps in medical services still exist depending on the resident area and whether individuals are enrolled in private insurance," and added, "A country where anyone can receive treatment without discrimination, whenever and wherever they are sick, must be 'the real Korea.'"
The candidate's pledges in the medical field include ▲establishing a public medical school and expanding public hospitals ▲stabilizing health insurance finances and reforming the system ▲rationalizing the number of medical students ▲establishing an integrated care system.
Regarding the number of medical students, which is a cause of conflicts in the medical field, the candidate stated, "The government's unilateral decisions led the medical community to close the door on dialogue, ultimately causing the greatest harm to the public," and emphasized that "we must start again through a social consensus involving all stakeholders, considering the changes brought by artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology."
The establishment of a public medical school has been one of the bills pursued by the Democratic Party. Lawmaker Park Hee-seung is leading a renewed push for the public medical school establishment bill. The public medical school law includes provisions for the state to establish universities and graduate schools to train public health care personnel and support the tuition of selected students in exchange for a 10-year mandatory service.
In pledges regarding climate change, he proposed ▲achieving a greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 ▲hosting the 33rd Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Agreement (COP33) in 2028 ▲establishing a roadmap for phasing out plastics ▲closing coal power plants by 2040 ▲strengthening the functions of the National Biodiversity Committee.
The candidate's pledge to close coal power plants is interpreted as a reaffirmation of the commitment to move away from 'nuclear phase-out.' The candidate's think tank, 'Growth and Integration,' recently proposed an 'energy mix' that includes nuclear power and renewable energy to the candidate's camp, indicating a determination not to deal with nuclear energy ideologically.
The candidate stated, "In the climate change response index, our country ranked 63rd out of 67 countries. Excluding oil-producing nations, we are near the bottom," and expressed determination to shed the label of "climate villain country" through greenhouse gas reduction. He also stressed a commitment to cooperate with neighboring countries such as Japan and China to reduce fine dust.