Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, proposed the preparation of a supplementary budget as the first measure for economic revitalization on the 18th. In contrast, Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, suggested 'debt adjustment for small business owners,' while Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party proposed the introduction of 'a system for voluntary adjustment of the minimum wage,' and Kwon Young-guk, the Democratic Labor Party candidate, offered 'a tax increase for the wealthy' as countermeasures.
On that day, the candidate responded to a question from the moderator about economic revitalization measures during the candidates' debate for the 21st presidential election organized by the Central Election Broadcasting Debate Commission, stating, 'During a recession, the government must play a moderating role,' and noted, 'It is important to prepare a supplementary budget within possible limits to support the livelihoods of ordinary people and revitalize the domestic economy. In the short term, the government must implement a supplementary budget to assist the struggling livelihoods of ordinary people.'
As a long-term measure, he stated, 'We must restore continuous growth drivers' and emphasized, 'We need to foster advanced technology industries, renewable energy, and the cultural industry, creating new areas that offer equitable growth opportunities and outcomes.'
Candidate Kim said, 'First, I will protect jobs for self-employed individuals and small business owners, who are most sensitive to economic conditions,' adding, 'We will provide substantial support to stimulate consumption and strengthen debt adjustments and financial assistance for small business owners.' He also mentioned, 'I will completely overhaul regulations to enable corporations to create good jobs' and stated, 'By removing regulations, we will ensure that corporations can operate freely and create jobs domestically, without having to go abroad. Corporations that create jobs will receive significant benefits.'
He continued, saying, 'The government will significantly support research and development (R&D) and make substantial investments in future industries to support corporations,' and added, 'The evaluation metrics of government departments will also focus on jobs, providing benefits to those performing well.'
Candidate Lee Jun-seok said, 'I will create a system that allows for the voluntary adjustment of the minimum wage according to the realities of the local economy, starting with alleviating the burden on self-employed individuals.' He also noted, 'We are a nation that relies on exports, and we must survive in international competition for technological hegemony to create competitive products,' emphasizing, 'We must enhance human capabilities to secure jobs without falling behind AI robots.'
Candidate Kwon criticized the tax cut policies of the political sector, including the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, stating, 'We must face the inequalities hidden by growth. The solution should be an increase in taxes, not a tax cut.' He continued, 'We need to hold large corporations and high-income individuals accountable and return resources to the people,' asserting, 'We will ensure that legitimate returns and accumulated wealth flow from the top down, and we will dismantle inequality.'