[Full Text] Lee Jae-myung Proposes 30 Trillion Won Supplementary Budget... Will Introduce National Recall System for Members of the National Assembly

Lee Delivers Keynote Speech as Negotiating Group Leader at National Assembly Plenary Session

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 10th, "I propose an additional supplementary budget (supplementary budget) of at least 30 trillion won for the recovery of people’s livelihood and the economy." He emphasized the introduction of the 'National Recall System for Members of the National Assembly' as the first step toward establishing a democratic republican system.

In his speech as the representative of the negotiating group at the National Assembly plenary session that day, Lee said, "The most urgent task for recovery and growth is the supplementary budget, an emergency remedy to revive the people’s economy." He added, "Due to the martial law shock, the real gross domestic product (GDP) evaporated by more than 6 trillion won, and 5.7 trillion won of foreign investment funds flowed out in just one month," emphasizing, "The government must not miss the golden time for economic recovery through fiscal expansion."

Specifically, he said, "Budgets for public safety such as coexistence consumption coupons, compensation for small business owners’ losses, support for local currency, infectious disease response, and training of specialists in severe trauma are also necessary," adding, "Additional investments are also needed for public housing, local social overhead capital (SOC), national support for free high school education, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and other future industries." He also stated, "I will not insist on specific items," leaving open the possibility of discussions with the ruling party.

The six future industries Lee identified as needing additional investment in this speech are △ AI (Artificial Intelligence) △ Bio △ Contents & Culture △ Defense △ Energy △ Factory (support for manufacturing revival). He said, "Support for demonstration projects for industrial restructuring and high value-added product development is necessary," and suggested, "Let’s discuss structural solutions together with the ruling and opposition parties, including worker measures such as job transition training and revitalization of local commercial districts." He also proposed declaring 'Special Crisis Response Areas' in regions such as Pohang, Ulsan, Gwangyang, and Yeosu.

Lee presented 'Jalsanim' as a new vision. To this end, he said, "Let’s create new growth engines and pursue 'fair growth' that shares growth opportunities and results together. I will establish the 'Recovery and Growth Committee for a Basic Society.'"

Regarding the emergency martial law situation, he said, "We will specify the right to refuse illegal martial law orders and establish a system to reward those who refuse or block illegal martial law." As the first step for this, Lee emphasized, "I will introduce the National Recall System for Members of the National Assembly as the first step to fully open the door to a democratic republic." The recall system is a system that allows the public to dismiss elected officials such as members of the National Assembly through a referendum during their term.

Yonhap News

Below is the full text of Lee Jae-myung’s speech as the representative of the negotiating group at the National Assembly

Recovery and Growth, Korea Again!

Respected citizens, overseas compatriots!

Speaker Woo Won-shik, senior and fellow lawmakers,

Cabinet members,

I am Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Korea is now facing an unprecedented crisis,

standing at a historic turning point.

From liberation from colonial rule,

the only country to succeed in both industrialization and democratization.

Boasting the world’s 10th largest economy and 5th largest military power,

a cultural powerhouse leading global culture with K-culture,

in this proud Korea,

martial law was unimaginable to the point that even prediction was dismissed as delusion.

However, a shocking

‘presidential personal military coup’ became a reality.

Although the main perpetrators were subdued by the people and the National Assembly,

the rebellion and resistance of the remnants of the civil war continued for about 70 days,

putting all of Korea’s achievements

at risk of being wiped out at once.

The personal military coup driven by lust for power

is destroying the democracy and constitutional order

that the entire nation fought for with blood and sweat.

The historic 1987 agreement on

‘guaranteeing the political neutrality of the military’

and ‘prohibiting the destruction of constitutional order and restriction of fundamental rights’

has been reduced to dust.

The world-recognized democracy,

economic and cultural power, and military strength

have collapsed,

and in an instant, Korea has fallen into a ‘developing country’ status.

The already difficult lives of the people

have been pushed to the brink.

As foreign media painfully pointed out,

“The economic cost of martial law will be paid in installments by 50 million people for a long time.”

In addition to tens or hundreds of trillions of won in direct damage,

there are enormous damages such as loss of trust and damage to national prestige

that are impossible to calculate.

Above all, the greatest wound is the fact that

‘extremism’ has widely taken root,

making civil war a possible reality at any time.

Baseless distrust and violence against constitutional institutions,

including courts, the Constitutional Court, and the National Election Commission, are rampant.

The ‘anti-constitutional and constitutional destruction forces’

that deny the constitutional principle of liberal democratic order

have appeared at the forefront of reality.

Dear and beloved citizens,

Nevertheless,

I and countless colleagues are confident.

Although the ‘constitutional destruction forces’ who ruined the lives of the people and the future of the nation

and pursued selfish interests and power are still continuing rebellion and regression,

our strong democracy

will remove this darkness and confusion

and create a brighter future and more vibrant hope.

The higher the mountain, the stronger the wind,

but the higher you climb,

the farther you can see.

The attempt at permanent rule through military dictatorship,

the absurd personal military coup

shocked the world,

but now they will be amazed again

by the resilience of Korea’s democratic republic

and the strength of the Korean people.

Our democracy

has advanced by gathering the will of the people

who stood up against ruthless power with their whole bodies.

In the 5,000-year history of the Korean Peninsula,

the cause of crises was always

irresponsible and incompetent vested interests,

but those who overcame crises and opened new paths

were always the awakened and active people.

The Democratic Party of Korea will form a ‘Constitutional Protection Coalition’

with all those who respect the values of the democratic republic,

and fight together against the ‘constitutional destruction forces.’

Together with the people, we will restore the fallen national prestige and trust,

economy and people’s livelihood, peace and democracy.

We will present a path of hope to the people,

create new growth engines,

and open the path to reducing gaps and sustainable growth through fair growth.

The dream of ‘Daedongse-sang’ (Great Harmony Society),

which everyone dreamed of in the fleeting moment of Gwangju in 1980 when unjust power withdrew,

has passed through the Candlelight Revolution of 2016

and continues as the ‘Revolution of Light’ in 2024.

The dream of the Donghak Army, which failed to cross the Ugeumchi Pass in 1894,

finally crossed the Namtaeryeong Pass in 2024.

Even at this moment,

the cries of the ‘multicolored lights’ coloring the square

are leading us to a new world where we will meet again,

a better world.

With the worst birthrate and suicide rate in world history,

hope has disappeared,

and the harsh reality that makes people give up on life

now demands change.

A world where everyone lives well together,

a country where hope beats again,

a ‘country with a solid foundation’

where the basic lives of all citizens are guaranteed.

Unfortunately, our economy

has entered a low growth rate of 1%.

There is a possibility of negative growth.

Inequality of opportunities and resources is deepening,

and the vicious cycle of gaps and polarization blocking growth continues.

As opportunities decrease due to low growth,

only war remains instead of competition.

Like the protagonist of ‘Squid Game,’

young people who have become socially vulnerable

are driven into extreme competition where they must kill to survive,

not cooperation and coexistence.

A society where failure in competition means death

has produced extremism that calls for killing each other.

The low birthrate that has brought the nation to the brink of extinction

has bred an anxious future and despair.

Birth and nurturing, which determine the survival of the community,

must now be the responsibility of the community, not just the parents.

The era of advanced technology symbolized by AI

will fundamentally change the traditional concept of labor and welfare systems.

While productivity increases with AI and new technologies,

the role and share of labor will inevitably shrink.

Productivity improvements through AI and advanced technology

should lead to ‘reduced working hours.’

In an era of advanced science and technology where creativity and autonomy are key,

long hours of forced labor are inappropriate.

The era of competing by quantity is over.

Extending working hours and labor exploitation

make survival in fierce international competition difficult.

We rank 5th among OECD countries in long working hours,

working more than a month (149 hours) longer than the OECD average (1,752 hours) (as of 2022).

To move toward a society of creativity and autonomy in advanced technology,

we must reduce working hours, pass through a 4.5-day workweek,

and advance to a 4-day workweek country.

Even if working hours are flexibly adjusted in certain areas due to special needs,

it must not lead to an extension of total working hours or avoidance of labor compensation.

The very idea of securing international competitiveness through long working hours and labor exploitation in advanced technology fields is a contradiction in terms.

Current welfare systems, which assume everyone can work and only rescue exceptional dropouts,

will have clear limitations in an advanced technology society where AI and robots are the main producers.

Now, we must prepare for the social crisis brought by super-advanced technology

with a universal basic society.

In all areas of life such as housing, finance, education, medical care, and public services,

the community must take joint responsibility for the basic lives of the people,

reducing future anxiety and opening the path to sustainable growth.

To solve these tasks,

‘recovery and growth’ must be a prerequisite.

To create hope and ease conflicts and confrontations,

we must expand the nest and grow the pie.

Recovery and growth are necessary conditions for a better tomorrow.

Creating new growth engines,

and sharing growth opportunities and results together,

‘fair growth’ will open the door to a better world.

Only by alleviating polarization and inequality through new and fair growth engines

can we enter a ‘world where everyone lives well together.’

We must grow to share.

We must grow more to reduce gaps further.

A country that guarantees the basic lives of its people as basic rights,

a country protected by a robust social safety net,

is where the courage for innovation and new growth is possible.

We will mobilize all our party’s power to lead ‘recovery and growth.’

We will establish the ‘Recovery and Growth Committee for a Basic Society.’

Dear citizens!

The reason I present the vision of ‘Jalsanim’ along with ‘Meoksanim’ here

is because the changes we will create

are so great and weighty

that we must gather everyone’s wisdom.

We must overcome division and conflict and unite our strength.

Let us not avoid the challenges ahead.

Let us face issues and controversies head-on,

create solutions through communication and discussion,

and change lives and the future with those results.

Politics must take the lead in finding reasonable balance points,

and complete a true social reform where everyone can dream of a happy life,

which is the core of ‘Jalsanim.’

For a new world and a better society,

we must coordinate conflicting interests.

We must not avoid real conflicts,

but talk, coordinate, and compromise.

Let us achieve social grand compromise through public discourse.

Growth and distribution are complementary, not contradictory,

and corporate development and labor rights protection

are not mutually exclusive.

Jobs are the only welfare,

and in a reality where social safety nets are woefully inadequate,

companies demand ‘labor flexibility’ for competitiveness,

while workers cry out ‘dismissal is death.’

Hiring only non-regular workers to avoid employment rigidity

limits productivity improvement,

and worsens the dual structure of the labor market.

Though it will take much time and effort,

through dialogue and trust-building,

we must increase corporate burdens,

expand the national social safety net,

and achieve a virtuous cycle ‘social grand compromise’ that expands stable employment through labor flexibility.

To prepare for the AI era, reduce working hours,

and address low birthrate, aging, and declining working-age population,

‘raising the retirement age’ must also be seriously discussed.

There are reforms that can be done immediately, like pension reform.

Although belated, the People Power Party has expressed willingness

to lead major reforms first.

Let us not attach impossible conditions anymore,

and settle urgent major reforms first.

There is no disagreement on the 13% insurance premium rate,

and the 44% income replacement rate proposed by the People Power Party

is only 1% different from the Democratic Party’s final proposal of 45%.

Let us open the door to reform starting with parts where agreement is possible immediately.

What use is ideology in reviving the economy?

What meaning does color have in saving people’s livelihood?

Whether progressive or conservative policies,

if they are useful prescriptions, let us mobilize all of them.

If it is useful for a world where everyone lives well together,

we will accept any policy.

Including ‘Meoksanim,’ which solves eating and living problems,

we will adopt ‘Jalsanim,’ where everyone lives well together,

as a new vision.

Respected citizens!

Before the solemn question, ‘Can the Democratic Party, which cannot change itself, change Korea?’

I reflect repeatedly.

Our Democratic Party of Korea

has not fully transformed the layers of public disappointment and anger

into hope and passion.

We endured biting cold and drove out incompetent and corrupt powers,

but only the color of power changed,

and we humbly accept the criticism that our lives and society have not changed.

Blocking armored vehicles with bare hands,

fighting against martial law troops armed with guns and bombs,

we will respond more seriously to the question of whether the next world will be better.

We will strengthen direct democracy

so that the people’s sovereign will is routinely reflected in state affairs.

At the scene where colorful cheering sticks and lively chants

blocked constitutional destruction and historical regression,

the sovereign people have already shown the ‘better world’ we will create.

Politics seems to be done by politicians,

but ultimately it is done by the people.

The Democratic Party will be reborn as a loyal tool of the sovereign people

and complete the unextinguishable ‘Revolution of Light.’

Based on the precious experience where the people took responsibility and acted as the owners of the country,

engraving the mission of public servants to create a happy country for the people,

we will fully open the door to a ‘democratic republic.’

As the first step, we will introduce the National Recall System for Members of the National Assembly.

The most urgent task for recovery and growth is

the supplementary budget, an emergency remedy to revive the people’s economy.

The Bank of Korea has lowered the growth rate forecast again in two months.

Due to the martial law shock, real GDP evaporated by more than 6 trillion won,

and 5.7 trillion won of foreign investment funds flowed out in one month.

The government must not miss the golden time for economic recovery through fiscal expansion.

For people’s livelihood and economic recovery,

I propose a supplementary budget of at least 30 trillion won.

Coexistence consumption coupons, compensation for small business owners’ losses,

and support for local currency are needed,

as well as budgets for public safety such as infectious disease response and training of specialists in severe trauma.

Additional investments are also needed for public housing, local SOC, and national support for free high school education,

as well as for future industries such as AI and semiconductors.

As I have already mentioned, if necessary for supplementary budgeting,

I will not insist on specific items.

A. Let’s foster AI-centered advanced technology industries.

The construction of the Gyeongbu Expressway in the Park Chung-hee era

was the cornerstone of industrialization.

The high-speed internet network in the Kim Dae-jung era

was the foundation for the development of the ICT industry.

Although we have fallen behind,

DeepSeek shows hope that latecomers have opportunities in the AI industry.

A strong government drive for the AI revolution is needed.

First, we must build a national AI data center.

With more than 100,000 AI semiconductor GPUs,

let’s support the AI industry with an AI data center.

Building AI infrastructure that researchers, developers, and startups can easily use

will foster various industries utilizing AI.

We should establish AI boot camps (specialized institutions for intensive training) with high-level and diverse educational programs,

train up to 100,000 AI technical personnel,

and nurture the AI industry as a strategic asset.

Science and technology are the future of the nation.

Interest and support for science and technology leading the future

must be greatly strengthened.

B. Bio

Currently, two of the top 10 domestic companies are bio companies.

National investment is needed to secure global competitiveness in the top five bio sectors in the future.

Through region-specific specialized development strategies in Incheon and the Chungcheong area,

R&D and financial support,

establishment of bio-specialized funds and investment ecosystems,

and training of related medical and professional personnel,

let’s strengthen the bio-industry ecosystem.

C. Contents & Culture

“The power of high culture is the only thing one endlessly desires.”

The dream of cultural powerhouse by Baekbeom Kim Gu

is no longer a dream but a reality.

Korean culture captivates the world from movies, dramas, games, webtoons, K-pop, to K-food.

In an era where K-content exports have surpassed secondary batteries and electric vehicles,

culture is economy and culture is the future food source.

The K-pop craze has led to the K-beauty craze,

and the increase in Korean language learning demand

has led to growth in the Korean language learning market.

Recently, ‘K Culinary Travel,’ boosted by the popularity of ‘Black and White Chef,’

has become a new avenue for the tourism industry.

In the era of 50 million K-culture tourists,

through ‘Bucket List Korea Tourism,’

we must connect the international Korean cultural craze

to increased sales and good jobs.

Since culture is easy to converge,

we must actively support strengthening competitiveness in brands, design, etc.

We must greatly expand the budget for culture and arts,

and actively support culture and arts

so that K-content permeates more widely and deeply worldwide.

D. Defense

The Korean Peninsula’s geopolitical characteristics, surrounded by military powers with the highest military density in the world,

have become the foundation for remarkable defense industry development today.

Let’s actively foster the defense industry as a future food source.

We must continuously invest in R&D of drones, robots, equipment, etc.,

in line with the changing future battlefield and technological environment,

and continuously discover defense industry partners.

Let’s turn geopolitical crises into opportunities.

E. Energy

As of 2023, our energy mix is 29% nuclear power, 9% renewable energy, 28% natural gas, and 33% coal.

Energy supply must focus on stability, eco-friendliness, and economic feasibility.

Korea imports most of its energy sources,

and is effectively an isolated island with a separated power grid,

making energy self-sufficiency and energy security paramount.

We must minimize coal share, reduce LNG share,

and rapidly increase renewable energy.

We must build energy highways to produce renewable energy anywhere.

By lowering electricity rates in power production areas,

we should develop energy industry hubs in regions at risk of extinction such as Sinan and Yeonggwang on the southwest coast,

which are rich in wind and solar energy.

F. Factory (support for manufacturing revival)

The link between exports and domestic demand has long been broken.

Corporate sales increases do not translate into domestic reinvestment, employment, or wage increases.

If companies focus only on overseas investment,

Korea will face industrial hollowing out.

It is time to actively promote strong domestic industry promotion policies.

A ‘Korean-style mother factory’ strategy centered on domestic supply chains is needed.

Using mother factories as bases,

we should support localization of materials, parts, and equipment,

and create an innovation ecosystem through industry-academia cooperation.

Beyond simple support for specific large companies,

let’s create an industrial ecosystem

to share growth opportunities and results together.

Recently, Korea’s main industries, steel and petrochemicals, have faced crises.

Price competitiveness of domestic products has weakened,

and China’s push-out, blocked from US exports, has overlapped.

These industries are the backbone of regional economies.

If related companies close,

regional economies will be devastated.

Pohang, Ulsan, Gwangyang, Yeosu, Seosan, and Dangjin are such places.

Urgent support is needed.

Industrial restructuring,

support for demonstration projects for high value-added product development,

worker measures such as job transition training,

and structural solutions such as revitalizing local commercial districts

should be discussed together by the ruling and opposition parties.

First, I propose declaring these areas as

“Special Industrial Crisis Response Areas.”

One secret to BTS’s success is

that they did not confine themselves to the domestic stage.

They aimed at the world from the beginning.

The geopolitical location of the Korean Peninsula, overlapping continents and oceans, is the same.

Let’s use our imagination.

We should be the starting point, not the end, of land and sea,

and the center of land-sea convergence, not collision.

Due to global warming,

the navigable period of the Arctic route is increasing,

and cargo volume is also increasing.

It is time to take a long-term interest and prepare for the Arctic route, which will be a stepping stone for the development of the southeast region.

Let us not forget the dream of the continental railway connecting north and south,

the starting point of which is here.

If the North America talks progress,

the strong confrontation between north and south

can be transformed into dialogue and cooperation.

Therefore, politics is a living thing,

and there are no eternal enemies or allies.

It will take time, but

cargo gathered from around the world to Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam

will spread to Europe and the world through the continental railway and Arctic route,

and we must prepare with this future vision.

The southeast region, connecting Sacheon, Changwon, Busan, Ulsan, and Pohang,

should be developed into a tri-port of shipping, railway, and aviation,

and its hinterland complex should be grown.

Domestically, democracy is on the test stand,

and externally, a war without gunfire has begun.

With the launch of Trump’s second term,

the international order is rapidly being reorganized.

The US has announced tariffs of 10% on China,

and 25% on Mexico and Canada,

opening the curtain on a trade war.

In an era dominated by self-help and nationalism,

we, with high export dependence, face greater difficulties.

Although the situation is at zero hour,

we cannot just stand by.

Politics must take the lead in responding to the trade crisis.

I again propose the formation of a special committee on trade measures at the National Assembly level.

The Korea-US alliance is the foundation of our diplomacy and security,

and a major asset for advanced technology cooperation and economic development.

The Korea-US alliance, based on shared democratic values,

has sent unwavering trust and solidarity to the people’s efforts to restore democracy

in the face of national chaos caused by the personal military coup.

Having maintained and developed the national system with the help of the liberal democratic camp,

we will continue to fulfill our role and responsibility as a member of the liberal democratic camp.

Due to the hardline North Korea policy,

the breakdown of inter-Korean relations and the close ties between North Korea and Russia

have heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula,

and peace has become elusive amid vanished dialogue.

We must firmly establish military readiness more than ever,

enhance North Korea nuclear response capabilities,

while keeping communication channels open and pursuing dialogue efforts simultaneously.

With President Trump expressing willingness for North America talks,

our government must urge North Korea to return to dialogue,

and ensure we are not excluded from North America talks.

Due to involvement in illegal martial law,

the morale of the armed forces is said to be in a dire state.

Some high-ranking generals’ participation in the absurd military coup is a fact,

and accountability is inevitable.

However, we still trust and love our armed forces.

The swift blocking of martial law by the people and the National Assembly

was thanks to the martial law troops who effectively disobeyed the president’s illegal orders

and remained loyal to the nation and the people.

The armed forces must be loyal to the people and the nation, not the president.

The military must never be mobilized for politics again.

We will specify the right to refuse illegal martial law orders and establish a system to reward those who refuse or block illegal martial law.

Dear citizens!

Our 5,000-year history watches over us.

Our great ancestors look down on us.

The hardships ahead are unprecedented and steep,

but compared to the many crises we have overcome,

they are not insurmountable.

Our people have always united in times of disaster

and turned crises into opportunities.

We resisted Japanese oppression with the March 1st Movement,

established the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea,

and achieved industrialization amid the pain of division and war.

We fought against ruthless dictatorship,

won democracy,

and reclaimed people’s power through the beautiful Candlelight Revolution.

We did not succumb to the IMF crisis,

and turned the crisis into an opportunity for economic reform,

laying the foundation for a welfare state and IT powerhouse.

All these achievements are the result of the unified will of the people

to leave a better country to future generations.

Our people are brave and wise enough

to turn even civil war into an opportunity.

The Democratic Party of Korea will humbly fulfill the political mission of ‘national unity.’

We will restore the values of coexistence and communication,

and revive the culture of dialogue and compromise.

Only ideology-free, faction-free practical politics

for the nation and the people

is the path to national unity and the future,

and the driving force for recovery, normalization, growth, and leap forward.

As our turbulent history shows,

even if slow and seemingly ended,

even if shaken by helplessness,

history has advanced and will continue to advance.

What we need now

is firm faith in history and the people,

and to move forward without fear.

Right after liberation in 1945,

what if we told our ancestors struggling with poverty and hardship

that ‘Korea will become the world’s 10th largest economic power’?

What if we told the martyrs sacrificed by military dictatorship violence

that ‘Korea will become a model democratic country recognized worldwide’?

Just as the dead saved the living,

and the painful memory of the military coup saved today’s Korea,

the people of 2025

will save our future.

Today’s Korean people will

finally prove that they are ‘the great Korean people who declared themselves the owners of the country and overcame even civil war.’

Starting with ‘Everyone’s Question Q,’

‘people-centered direct democracy’ unfolding in the ‘square’ of solidarity, coexistence, and consideration

will establish itself as the ‘second democratization.’

The ‘recovery and growth’ that will begin now

will be the ‘second industrialization’

that restores lost dreams and hope.

The Democratic Party will take the lead.

With unextinguishable multicolored light,

we will advance toward the place pointed to by the people.

Overcoming frustration and despair,

we will rise again with the great Korean people

and make Korea run again.

Thank you. - End -