Lee Jae-myung: "The country is already in decline... The general election is the day to raise the cane"

Criticism of Yoon Government's Livelihood and North Korea Policies in Pocheon
Emphasis on Basic Income Theory
"No Matter How Many Allies, Victory Depends on Number of Friends"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, a 'difficult area' in the metropolitan area, on the 23rd, fiercely criticizing the government and ruling party and appealing for overwhelming support in the general election.

At an on-site press conference held in downtown Pocheon, Lee held up a bunch of green onions and said, "On the way here, I actually bought a bunch of green onions at Hanaro Mart to see how much it costs," adding, "When the president buys them, it's 875 won, so I thought it might be around 900 won if the opposition leader goes, but it was 3,900 won."

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is speaking on the 23rd at Soheul-eup, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi Province. From the left, Lee, Park Yoon-guk (Gyeonggi Pocheon Gapyeong) candidate, and Democratic United Party member Yong Hye-in.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He continued, "If a bunch of green onions costs 875 won, what do farmers live on? How can 875 won be considered reasonable?" and sarcastically remarked about President Yoon Seok-yeol, "If it were me, I would have thought, 'This price is a bit strange?'"

He also criticized, "Normally, prices should align with the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate. The current growth rate is just over 1 percent, so why are prices so high?" and said, "Neglecting such abnormalities is incompetence."

He said, "This administration uses taxes and power to change the location of highways for land speculation, and sent the key suspect in the Chae Sang-byeong case cover-up and fabrication overseas using taxpayers' money," adding, "No matter how much they mess things up and create chaos, since no sanctions are imposed, they are sitting atop the heads of the owners."

He went on, "The country is already doomed. How can the country be ruined like this in less than two years?" and emphasized, "Now it must be stopped. April 10 is the day to raise the cane."

Since Pocheon is a border area and traditionally a stronghold of the current ruling party, he also took aim at the government's North Korea policy. Lee said, "The economy of border areas is closely related to peace. When was the time that land prices rose and the local economy was revitalized? Wasn't it when there was peace and inter-Korean exchanges?" and shouted, "But will you entrust the fate of this country again to a group that makes it possible for war, not peace, to break out?"

He also brought up his 'policy brand' of basic income, which he advocated during his time as governor of Gyeonggi Province. Lee said, "I believe we should move toward a society that guarantees a basic standard of living above a certain level. One of those is basic income," adding, "Our society has developed and has the capacity to maintain itself while guaranteeing as much income as possible."

At the Pocheon schedule that day, Yong Hye-in, co-chair of the joint election campaign committee of the opposition proportional representation party, the Democratic Union, also joined. The intention was to highlight the so-called 'Democratic Party all-in theory,' asking voters to vote for the Democratic Party in the local constituencies and the Democratic Union in proportional representation.

Lee said, "If they happen to become the first party, they will take the Speaker of the National Assembly," adding, "Didn't you see what happened when they took the Legislation and Judiciary Committee? What will happen if they even take the Speaker?"

He continued, "If we fail to secure a majority independently, we will spend all our time negotiating politically," emphasizing, "No matter how many allies you have, the outcome is decided by the number of your own troops."

Co-chair Yong said, "If the People's Future gets more votes than the Democratic Union in the proportional representation vote, the People Power Party will claim they were not judged," adding, "To properly judge, the main force must win, and the main force must stand firm."