Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung, considered one of the front-runners for the presidency, on Monday presented his chief policy ideas, including the introduction of a four-day workweek, as well as pumping 30 trillion won ($20.6 billion) in extra budget to lift the economy out of the fallout from suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid.
In a speech delivered before the National Assembly, Lee painted the Democratic Party as the party that will steer South Korea out of the "mess" created by Yoon's surprise declaration of martial law late Dec. 3 last year, which was quickly overturned in a bipartisan vote just hours later.
The Democratic Party leader said South Korea was facing "an unprecedented crisis, a historical turning point" with "martial law sympathizers" continuing to defend the president and keeping the country in a state of chaos two months on.
Lee, calling Yoon's imposition of martial law "insurrection," made the case for reshaping the political system toward a direct democracy and devolving more power to the people.
As a key step in that direction, the Democratic Party chair called for allowing constituents to remove lawmakers from office before their term's end through a vote. Currently, lawmakers' terms are protected by the Constitution, unless they are criminally convicted for violating laws on public election or political funds.
Lee described the underlying core of his policies to be "pragmatist" and "neither left or right."
"Let's mobilize all tools and prescriptions available to us, whether they are liberal or conservative, if it means we can salvage the economy and improve the lives of the South Korean people," he said. "We need to rise above ideologies and transcend political camps."
The Democratic Party leader called on the government to introduce a supplementary budget of at least 30 trillion won to boost the economy, support the middle and working class, and keep small businesses afloat.
"We still have the opportunity to revive the economy by expanding government spending," he said.
Lee singled out artificial intelligence, biotechnology, culture, defense, energy and manufacturing as the six sectors his economic recovery blueprint will be focusing on.
In his address, Lee highlighted some of his signature pro-labor and social welfare policies that were also showcased when he ran for president in 2022.
Lee pointed out that South Koreans work far more than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average. "We need to slash work hours and institute a four-day workweek as the norm as opposed to a five-day one," he said.
As one of his labor policy priorities, Lee spoke of some "compromise" from both corporations and workers to allow for more labor flexibility while at the same time increasing job security.
"In a society where paychecks are the only form of welfare and social safety nets are woefully inadequate, we need to implement a system where corporate development and labor rights are complementary, not mutually exclusive. Economic growth and redistribution should be able to coexist," he said.
Lee stressed South Korea's solidarity with the "global community of liberal democracies," especially the US. He said the South Korea-US alliance was the "rock foundation" of the country's diplomacy, national security and economic development.
"We have built our country with the help of and cooperation with liberal democracies of the world, and we will continue to fulfill our roles and responsibilities as a fellow liberal democracy," he said.
Lee said the international order was rapidly being reorganized with the advent of US President Donald Trump's second administration, and that South Korea needs to keep up with the changing landscape.
"The US has announced tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada, which signals a prelude to a highly likely trade war," he said, calling for a bipartisan committee on trade policies and negotiations. "Political leaders must take the lead in responding to the Trump-era trade rules."
Lee said he fully supported Trump's possible plans for another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and that South Korea should be actively involved.
"As President Trump has shown willingness to engage with North Korea once again, South Korea should take steps not to get sidelined in the process, and urge Pyongyang to return to dialogue," he said.
Lee's Monday's address sparked criticism from conservative politicians seen as potential presidential runners, including Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo.
Kim said legislating a 4-day workweek was "too forward" at this stage. "I hope the Democratic Party will consider whether cutting the working days of the week would benefit the economy and employment prospects for young people," he said.
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, similarly slammed Lee's labor and economy policies as "populist" and "unrealistic" when speaking to reporters.
arin@heraldcorp.com
