Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, presented the 'top 10 pledges' of his campaign on the 12th, including plans to decentralize presidential power and create an efficient, practical government through the consolidation of ministries.
The candidate proposed 'creating a government that works well with less presidential power' as his top pledge.
The plan is to reorganize the current 19 ministries, consolidating those with similar and overlapping duties into 13 ministries and introducing a three-minister system consisting of a Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Strategy, and Social Affairs.
The candidate also proposed an industrial pledge to revitalize the local economy and address the rust belt by promoting reshoring, bringing domestic corporations that have relocated overseas back to key domestic industrial complexes.
The plan also includes expanding corporate tax autonomy so that local governments can autonomously determine and manage corporate income tax rates to attract local corporations.
In the labor sector, the plan is for local governments to be able to decide on the increase or decrease of the minimum wage within a range of 30% based on the basic minimum wage set by the Minimum Wage Commission under the central government.
As a social welfare pledge, it was promised to reform the National Pension structure to separate the finances of new and old pensions and establish a pension system ensuring that 'what you pay in, you will definitely receive' by introducing a defined contribution structure.
For educational policy, the candidate announced plans to introduce a national responsibility system for teacher lawsuits, where local education authorities would directly represent teachers in civil and criminal litigation related to their duties, and assign dedicated lawyers.
Furthermore, to ensure immediate response to disruptions in classroom instruction and problematic behavior, student life support personnel will be deployed to connect guidance and counseling for problematic students.
For the youth, a financial support pledge has been prepared. It includes providing a loan product that allows youth aged 19 to 34 to borrow up to 5 million won per quarter, with a total maximum of 50 million won, at a fixed interest rate of 1.7% with no restrictions on usage.
In the defense sector, a pledge was made to conduct four weeks of integrated basic military training for all conscripts, and select outstanding candidates for officers and non-commissioned officers based on their training scores and evaluations of physical fitness, character, and interviews.
To revitalize industries, a special permit system applying the regulatory standards of developed countries will be introduced to eliminate unnecessary regulations and enhance competitiveness.
The candidate also promised to establish a Regulatory Review Board under the Prime Minister to centralize regulatory responses.
As for nurturing scientific and technological personnel, a pension system for excellent researchers was proposed. A method was also suggested to grant diplomatic-level fast-track benefits at immigration checks for scientists and technologists who meet certain criteria.