The core of the personnel appointments of the Democratic Party of Korea's central election countermeasure committee, launched on the 30th, is the "policy headquarters." This organization oversees Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign pledges. The Democratic Party has structured this headquarters with a "three-person co-headquarters system" led by Lee Han-joo, director of the Democratic Research Institute, Jin Sung-jun, chair of the policy committee, and Kim Sung-hwan, a member of the National Assembly. These individuals have expressed critical views towards populist tax cuts or have opposed the "Lee Jae-myung style rightward shift." As Lee, who has declared himself a "centrist conservative," has announced various tax cuts, attention is focused on whether there will be changes in this rightward trend.
The Democratic Party held the opening ceremony of the election committee at 2 p.m. in the National Assembly member's office building, announcing its operational direction and appointments. Former Minister of Environment Yoon Yeojun and Park Chan-dae, the acting party leader and floor leader, will serve as co-chairpersons. Additionally, former Minister of Justice Kang Geum-sil, former Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jeong Eun-kyeong, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Chairman Kim Dong-myeong, and former Governor of South Gyeongsang Province Kim Kyeong-soo joined as co-chairpersons.
After the ceremony, Lee noted to reporters, "If the party has unilaterally promised the people, it must listen to the people's voices properly to create policies and reflect them in governance," adding, "In that sense, we have decided to conduct a 'listening campaign' in the election committee. Both the election strategy and policies are important."
Director Lee and Chair Jin are each heads of the party's official think tank and policy committee, respectively. Member Kim, representing the largest policy group in the National Assembly, 'Better Future', has served as chair of the policy committee twice. This puts the three individuals, recognized as 'policy experts' inside and outside the party, in leading positions. Particularly, Chair Jin and Member Kim strongly advocated for implementation theories during last year's intra-party debate over the investment income tax (financial transaction tax), citing 'tax equity' and 'tax justice.' However, Lee opted for abolishing the investment income tax and deferring the taxation of virtual assets as a strategy to attract middle-class voters.
Chair Jin noted in a media interview on the 18th that "the astronomical loss of revenue occurred due to the failure of the economic and fiscal policies of the Yoon Seok-yeol government, and the fiscal situation is extremely difficult," stating, "Whether to increase taxes is a controversial issue that is not easy to take a firm stance on." While the Democratic Party is pouring out various tax cuts citing the need to support the middle class, it is interpreted that careful consideration must be given to the government’s fiscal situation.
Director Lee's stance on taxes is also notable. In a recent media interview, he mentioned the Yoon Seok-yeol government's 'wealthy tax cuts' regarding tax increases, stating, "I prefer to use the term 'restoration' rather than 'tax increase.' There is a need to restore certain tax systems to what they were before 2022." He also remarked, "Basic welfare is not just throwing out money," explaining that "collecting taxes and distributing money is not the solution, but preparing to advance to the next stage by reorganizing social structures." He is a close policy associate who has worked with Lee since his time as mayor of Seongnam, helping to design the 'basic income' policy.
Member Kim, a three-term veteran who led the promotion of the 'Yellow Envelope Act' as chair of the policy committee in 2023, questioned the appropriateness of viewing tax increases or tax cuts through a binary perspective, stating, "It is questionable whether approaching the issue simply as 'tax increase' or 'tax cut' is right," while adding, "It is wrong that the Yoon Seok-yeol government has tried to cut taxes significantly for ultra-high earners."