Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, mentioned the 'pain of people's livelihood' and proposed a people's livelihood summit meeting to President Yoon Suk-yeol.
On the 29th, Lee said, "I propose a people's livelihood summit meeting to President Yoon Suk-yeol," adding, "I hope the president and the opposition party leader can meet unconditionally to candidly discuss people's livelihood and state affairs, and swiftly carry out what can be done."
On the same day, Lee proposed this through his social media (SNS) account, saying, "At least until the December regular National Assembly session, let's stop political strife and focus on solving people's livelihood issues." He said, "The people suffering from the pain of livelihood feel uneasy and uncomfortable with war-like politics that deny the other side while ignoring people's livelihood, rather than a healthy competition over who does better." He continued, "The core of people's livelihood is the economy, and the economy is psychology. Just the president and the opposition putting their heads together will be a signal of recovery."
Lee highlighted economic issues such as a recent video where a foreign professor said about South Korea's total fertility rate of only 0.78, "South Korea is completely ruined," as well as corporate debt and trade deficits. He also criticized, "While countries around the world are swiftly engaging in diplomatic wars for their national interests, we are voluntarily subordinating ourselves to great powers, increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and causing economic damage," adding, "It is time to secure practical benefits through pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests, but instead, ideological value debates are dividing the people and causing damage to national interests." Furthermore, he expressed concern, saying, "While everyone is preparing for the climate crisis and moving toward a renewable energy-centered society, we are ignoring eco-friendly energy," and "Due to the lack of an energy strategy, massive damage to companies is expected immediately, but government measures are hard to find."
Lee said, "It is hard to raise our heads before the harsh criticism of the people asking, 'Is this a country? What is politics doing?'" He reiterated his proposal for a meeting, saying, "Politics is about creating a better life for the people, and before this paramount task, there can be no division between ruling and opposition, progressives and conservatives. Politics is about recognizing and respecting the different thoughts and positions of others, and creating a new path that the people can empathize with through dialogue and compromise."
Lee said, "If we can give the people even a glimmer of hope, if the lives of the people improve even by half a step, all of this will be the achievement of the president and the ruling party who are fully in charge of state affairs," adding, "At this critical time, it is by no means desirable for the state power temporarily entrusted to improve the lives of the people to be wasted on matters unrelated to the people's lives. I expect the president's progressive decision."
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