Discussion on Daejang-dong Allegations "3 Sessions Not Enough"
Abolition of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family & Soldier Salary Pledge of 2 Million Won per Month
Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is entering the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 9th. 2022.1.9 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, who has embarked on reform after the complete dismantling of the election campaign committee, is focusing on verifying the preferential treatment allegations related to the Daejang-dong development and capturing the votes of men in their 20s. The strategy is to directly target Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, over the Daejang-dong allegations while consolidating the 'jittoe' (core supporters) through courting young male voters.
On the 7th, Yoon met with reporters at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, and reiterated his determination to have a direct debate with Lee, saying, "Three legal debates are not enough." Yoon said, "Issues related to personal misconduct allegations, policy matters, and any problems related to actions taken in public office in the past will all be topics for debate," adding, "There should definitely be intensive verification debates on the Daejang-dong issue, which has raised many public suspicions."
Active support from the People Power Party's parliamentary floor is also expected. Kim Ki-hyun, the party's floor leader, criticized Lee's comment on the Daejang-dong investigation as an 'excessive prosecution investigation' in a Facebook post, defending Yoon by saying, "This is a really unreasonable claim intended to deflect blame by linking it to Yoon, a former prosecutor general." He then challenged, "Let's have a final debate in front of the public to see whose words are correct, mine or theirs," and warned, "I will thoroughly expose how hypocritical and insincere Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party's conditional special prosecution demand on Daejang-dong is, and how hollow their claims of fairness are."
The one-line pledges Yoon has been posting on Facebook are aimed at men in their 20s. On the 7th, Yoon posted a pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and on the 9th, a pledge to raise soldiers' monthly pay to 2 million won.
The pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was advocated by Lee Jun-seok, the People Power Party leader, targeting some conservative men in their 20s. The next day, Yoon elaborated on the abolition pledge, saying, "We will promote the establishment of a new ministry that comprehensively addresses issues related to children, families, and population decline, rather than dividing by gender anymore."
Regarding the increase in soldiers' pay, he explained, "All will be raised to at least the minimum wage, with some slight adjustments," adding, "The current annual budget for soldiers' pay is 2.1 trillion won, but raising all soldiers' pay to the minimum wage would increase it by about 5.1 trillion won. The funds will be secured through budget expenditure adjustments."
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