Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, said on the 25th, "A supplementary budget should definitely be considered," and noted, "We are in a situation where short-term economic stimulus is necessary."

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is making remarks at a press conference held at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on 25th. /Courtesy of News1

The candidate mentioned at a press conference held at the Democratic Party of Korea’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on that morning, "The economy has shrunk by 0.2% in the first quarter of this year. The pain for the public has grown too much."

He suggested, "It seems that we need to extinguish the urgent fire immediately through the supplementary budget," and added, "It seems difficult to implement the supplementary budget for industrial support right now, so we need to focus on the supplementary budget to alleviate the difficulties of small businesses and people's livelihoods."

Regarding the advanced technology industry sector, he remarked, "We are considering fully introducing negative regulation," explaining, "There are many unpredictable aspects in advanced industries, and because international competition is fierce, if we implement regulations or require permits in advance, problems will arise, so we are considering switching to negative regulation."

He also said, "We plan to create and operate a separate organization responsible for regulatory reform."

The candidate also spoke about his recent proposal for a constitutional amendment centered on a 'four-year presidential re-election system,' stating, "It is written in the constitution that this does not apply to the president during their term," yet he acknowledged, "There are theoretical controversies. If we amend the constitution, that clause will also be changed, so adhering to the amended constitution aligns with the principle of popular sovereignty."

Article 128, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution states, "A constitutional amendment for extending the president’s term or changing the re-election does not have effect on the current president at the time of the amendment proposal."

He added, "Academics say it doesn’t apply, but it is written like that in the constitution for political morality, so how can we easily violate it?" and emphasized, "I must naturally adhere to the will of the people."

The candidate stated, "However, given the public sentiment, I believe that receiving additional benefits under the amended constitution (while in office) will not be tolerated," and urged, "Please remove your doubts."