Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, recently expressed his views on the infighting within the People Power Party regarding the unification of candidate Kim Moon-soo and independent candidate Han Duck-soo, stating that it is "hard to understand." He reiterated that the campaign pledges of "extending the retirement age" and "a 4.5-day workweek" should be pushed forward through sufficient social dialogue.

Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is raising his thumb before his welcoming speech at the election campaign committee's policy agreement ceremony for livelihoods held at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on Aug. 8./Courtesy of News1

After attending the "Election Countermeasure Committee's Functional Headquarters Livelihood Policy Agreement Ceremony" held at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 8th, Lee Jae-myung met with reporters and commented on the recent unification process of the People Power Party presidential candidates, saying, "I've heard of forced marriages, but this is the first time I've heard of forced unification."

In response to a question about the intensifying pain within the People Power Party regarding the unification of candidates Han Duck-soo and Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jae-myung remarked, "It’s kind of funny. I’m sorry," appearing unable to contain his laughter. He added, "I don’t want to talk too much about that house (People Power Party), but I don’t understand. It seems like they picked a candidate for the sake of unification sacrifice."

Lee Jae-myung continued his "economic activity" by meeting with economic organizations and professional organizations in succession. On the morning of that day, he held a meeting with five economic groups: the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Federation of Korean Industries, Korea International Trade Association, Korea Enterprises Federation, and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises. During the meeting with the economic groups, Lee stated that extending the retirement age and a 4.5-day workweek should not be decided unilaterally, and that sufficient social dialogue is necessary.

After meeting with professional organizations, Lee Jae-myung again emphasized that he would not unilaterally push forward labor-related pledges.

Lee Jae-myung noted, "Our society lacks dialogue, and the hostility and hatred are too intense, which prevents us from reaching reasonable conclusions through discussions. As a result, conflicts intensify rather than reaching conclusions." He added, "Issues related to labor will be continuously discussed in various ways, including bilateral and multilateral dialogues or town hall meetings, beyond official discussion bodies."