The Need for Young Leaders to Propose a New Social Contract
"No Factions, No Connections Included
The Era Demands Courage to Face Change"
[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung, Koo Chae-eun] "A country that is good for business should be the country of Kim Beom-su (Chairman of Kakao's Board) and Kim Bong-jin (Founder of Baedal Minjok)."
Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who recently announced his intention to run in next year's presidential election, emphasized in an interview with Asia Economy that he is the right candidate for "economic president." He said, "(If I become president) I will pave the expressway of economic innovation through politics," adding, "It is about creating certain rules to maximize efficiency so that predators in the market do not engage in unfair practices and privileges." He aims to eliminate unreasonable practices where bureaucratic desk administration determines the survival of companies and small businesses cannot thrive under the pressure of large corporations.
When asked "Why Park Yong-jin?" he answered, "We need a young leader who can propose a new social contract." He said, "I have no faction or lineage. Because I am not surrounded by vested interests and connections, I have been able to lead difficult legislation so far," and added, "The current era demands 'the courage to face change' from the president. Only a young politician strong on economic issues like Park Yong-jin can bring about change."
Park is also concretizing a "Happy Nation Vision" embodying the values of Article 10 of the Constitution through his think tank, the On-Gukmin Happiness Politics Research Institute. He revealed, "I am designing an integrated platform encompassing the entire welfare administration, including tax reform, utilization of social funds, and management of sovereign wealth funds, so that citizens can quickly build assets of about 500 million won per household." Regarding real estate issues, he maintains a stance of "penalizing multi-homeowners" but said he "will not antagonize market demands." Park stated, "It is necessary to lower property taxes and capital gains taxes for a while to allow the market to absorb listings. However, the core of housing policy should not be focused solely on controlling apartment prices in the Gangnam 3 districts." He also proposed relocating Gimpo Airport functions to Incheon Airport and building a smart city with 200,000 households on the vacated site.
As a respected politician, he cited the late former President Kim Dae-jung, saying, "He achieved results through social compromise such as integrating health insurance premiums, separating drug prescribing and dispensing, and building a high-speed internet network. I believe the core of politics is to change people's lives even if the leader is criticized."
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