Yoon Hee-suk, director of the People Power Party's Yeouido Institute, emphasized during the second policy speech for the June 3 presidential election broadcast on the 25th that “the first breakthrough to revive the economy is to cut off the 'collusion that uses political power to utilize strong elite unions as political shock troops and, in return, protects what they want.'
In the speech broadcast that day through MBC, Yoon noted, “Our country's potential growth rate will soon plummet to the 0% range.”
The previous day, after apologizing for the December 3 emergency martial law in his first speech, Yoon was seen taking a confrontational stance against the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.
Yoon pointed out, “Even though the semiconductor industry, which is the backbone of our economy, is in crisis, some politicians opposed the weekly 52-hour exception clause of the Special Semiconductor Act, saying, 'The union doesn't like it, so it can't be done,'” and added, “They only think about gaining political benefits by flattering the strong privilege union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, while ignoring workers' anxieties.”
He continued, “Politicians are only talking about K-NVIDIA, which is truly absurd,” and added, “If they truly mean to revive the economy and improve regulations, labor regulatory reform must be included.”
Quoting the popular drama 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' Yoon stated, “The current Republic of Korea exists thanks to our parents' dedication and sacrifice to provide (opportunities) for their children,” and emphasized, “We must reclaim the dedication and passion of the industrialization generation, which must pass on a better life to their children. The current generation must participate in creating an exciting economic order that allows young people to soar freely.”
He also stressed that the efficiency of public finances, pension reform, and reduction of health insurance expenditure are responsibilities of our generation that can no longer be avoided.
According to the Public Election Act, once a presidential election due to a vacancy is confirmed, political parties are allowed to hold policy speeches on TV and radio a total of five times, each for less than 10 minutes. Yoon, a former lawmaker from the Korea Development Institute (KDI), has been serving as the head of the Yeouido Institute, a think tank of the People Power Party, since January.