Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, noted on the 25th, "If I receive the choice of the people, I will form an ‘Emergency Economic Response Task Force’ led by the president first."
He also said, "The crimes of the rebel forces will be punished decisively, but there will be absolutely no political retaliation targeting specific individuals."
On the same day, Lee held a press briefing at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "The usual difficulties and changes in the global security environment are already putting the livelihoods and economy in danger; we need to save both self-employed individuals at the edge and restart the stalled engine of growth," emphasizing that he would form the ‘Emergency Economic Response Task Force.’
He added, "We will swiftly prepare immediately actionable measures for the economy and actively respond to the domestic recession with the mindset of 'battling the recession.'"
Regarding overcoming the economic recession, he stated, "Due to the prolonged economic downturn, both production and consumption are not sufficiently taking place. The government must take the initiative in pursuing effective economic revitalization measures," and added, "National finances must act as a catalyst to revive the virtuous cycle of the economy and faithfully play the role of a support for the lives of the people."
He also pledged to ▲ strengthen parliamentary control during a state of emergency, limit presidential veto power, establish a parliamentary recommendation system for the prime minister, and set up appointment consent procedures for the prosecution, police, and the Korea Communications Commission ▲ activate citizen recommendation systems for major public officials ▲ and build a citizen participation digital platform.
◇"Short-term economic stimulus through supplementary budget"
During a Q&A session with reporters, he also mentioned the supplementary budget. Lee stated, "The government must take the initiative in pursuing effective economic revitalization measures," and added, "As we are in a state requiring short-term economic stimulus, we need to extinguish urgent fires with an additional supplementary budget to alleviate the difficulties of people’s livelihoods."
He continued, "It seems difficult to focus on a supplementary budget for industrial support right now, so we should concentrate on supplementary budgets to alleviate the difficulties of small businesses and livelihoods."
He also expressed his willingness for regulatory reform, stating, "Advanced industries have many unpredictable aspects, and international competition is fierce, so if we impose regulations or seek permits in advance, issues may arise; therefore, we are considering transitioning to negative regulation."
He added, "I plan to create and operate a separate organization responsible for regulatory reform."
◇"No political retaliation" emphasized… "Rebel forces must be punished decisively"
He emphasized that there would be no political retaliation, stating, "The crimes of the rebel forces that threaten the Republic of Korea's system and the lives of the people will be punished decisively, but there will be absolutely no political retaliation targeting specific individuals."
During the Q&A session with reporters, when asked about the scope of the 'rebel forces,' Lee responded, "There has been no clarification regarding justifications for rebellion and martial law, such as foreign exchange crimes or inducing attacks that provide military benefits to enemy nations. It is necessary to penalize and punish the key parties involved in major missions."
In response to a question about whether he would activate a special investigation regarding Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, he replied, "Isn't Chief Justice Cho not a politician?"
When asked if his election as president would lead to monopolizing the legislative and executive branches, Lee answered, "That's absurd."
He further stated, "The current situation of having both a ruling party and an opposition party has dominated much of South Korea's constitutional history," and emphasized, "As the ruling party violates the will of the people and shows anti-historical behavior, isn't it the case that the opposition party was given a majority to control this?"
He pointed out, "Rather than having a situation where nothing gets done in a divided government, it is better to have things moving."
◇Lee Jun-seok and Kim Moon-soo unification: “Prepping for possibility”
Regarding the possibility of unification between Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, he stated, "I expect that they will eventually unify, and we are preparing for that possibility."
Meanwhile, when asked whether he planned to accompany his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, in his activities, he replied, "I do not know what my wife is doing either," and added, "She will decide depending on her judgment, so I think it’s better not to mention that."