[Full Text of Acceptance Speech] Lee Jaemyung: "I Will Win Without Fail and Reclaim the Administration"

"I will win without fail and reclaim the administration"
Lee Jaemyung pledges to create a new Republic of Korea filled with hope and passion

Lee Jaemyung, who was elected as the 21st presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared on the 27th, "I will win without fail and reclaim the administration."

In his "Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech" delivered that afternoon, Lee said, "I will repay you by creating a completely new country, a true Republic of Korea overflowing with hope and passion."

Lee stated, "As a Democrat of 20 years, I have been entrusted with the grave responsibility of being the 21st presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea." He continued, "Despite everything collapsing, amidst anxiety, despair, and suffering, you elected me as the presidential candidate with an unprecedented 89.77% overwhelming support. This must be the earnest wish to realize democracy and human rights, peace and safety, recovery and growth, unity and happiness."

Lee said, "Three years ago, on a fateful day when the destiny of this country was at stake, we lost. They even denied the democratic republic and committed a praetorian military coup, seeking to establish permanent rule through military government. As the national anthem says, by the grace of God and the strength of the people, we are resisting, but even now, attempts at rebellion and regression continue."

He continued, "I am sorry, and again, I am sorry. In the face of the united hearts of party members, supporters, and the people, I feel not only desperation but also a sense of solemnity." Lee added, "Today, 23 years ago, President Roh Moo-hyun was elected as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Aspiring to be the 'eldest brother of a new era,' Roh boldly declared, 'Let us end the era of distrust and division, and move into an era of reform and unity.' Just as April 27, 2002, was, so too will April 27, 2025, be the dawn of a new era."

Lee said, "Our proud Democratic Party members and supporters have always presented the future of the nation through the wisest and most courageous choices. During the IMF crisis, you chose President Kim Dae-jung, accelerating the overcoming of the national crisis and laying the foundation for Korea as an IT powerhouse and a cultural giant. By choosing President Roh Moo-hyun, you paved a new path to overcome regionalism and authoritarianism." He added, "By choosing President Moon Jae-in, you carried on the Candlelight Revolution and opened a new horizon of peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Lee said, "On the upcoming June 3, our people will write a new chapter in that great epic. Somewhere within crisis lies the door to opportunity." He continued, "Let us join hands and complete the revolution of light. Let us move forward to a 'true Republic of Korea,' where, as the name of our nation suggests, everyone on this land lives as an equal owner."

Lee emphasized, "The true Republic of Korea?today, we begin that historic journey. I, Lee Jaemyung, will be at the center of that great course," adding, "I will accept the mandate of the Democratic Party and the people and will surely win. Following the aspirations of the people and the wishes of party members, I will create a new Republic of Korea."

Yonhap News

Full Text of Lee Jaemyung's Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech

Respected citizens,

Dear comrades and fellow Democratic Party members!

As a Democrat of 20 years, I, Lee Jaemyung, have been entrusted with the grave responsibility of being the 21st presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea.

The Democratic Party and the people have commanded me

to reclaim the administration through an overwhelming victory, to clear away the old era of rebellion and regression, and to open a new era of popular sovereignty and hope.

Despite everything collapsing, amidst anxiety and despair,

and suffering, you elected me as your presidential candidate with an unprecedented 89.77% overwhelming support.

This must be the earnest wish to realize democracy and human rights, peace and safety, recovery and growth, unity and happiness.

On March 28, 2004, at 5 p.m., in the basement prayer room of Jumin Church in front of Seongnam City Hall, I wiped away my tears and made a decision.

Although the citizens of Seongnam longed for it, the dream of a municipal public hospital was thwarted by corrupt vested interests. I resolved to run for mayor to realize that dream.

I wanted to overcome anti-politics and anti-democracy, where those entrusted with power by the sovereign people use it to oppress the people, and where the people's taxes are used to attack the people.

I wanted to create a normal local autonomy where the will of the people is realized in everyday life, a true democratic republic.

After 10 years of campaigning for a municipal hospital, I finally became mayor of Seongnam and established the municipal medical center, creating a city where citizens are the owners and happiness flourishes, together with the people.

Though the time was short, I answered the call of the people of Gyeonggi Province and changed the province,

and, following the wishes of Democratic Party members, built a member-centered, competent, and victorious Democratic Party.

Now, the people and party comrades have given me the opportunity to reclaim the administration,

and to build a new nation, a true Republic of Korea.

Thank you.

I will humbly accept this earnest and solemn mandate.

I will win without fail and reclaim the administration.

I will repay you by creating a completely new country, a true Republic of Korea overflowing with hope and passion.

Three years ago, on a certain day,

in a fateful contest for the destiny of this country, we lost.

It was all due to my shortcomings.

Though they won by a narrow margin,

those who took everything ruined the country with arrogance and greed, driving the people into suffering.

They even denied the democratic republic and committed a praetorian military coup, seeking to establish permanent rule through military government.

As the national anthem says, by the grace of God and the strength of the people, we are resisting, but even now, attempts at rebellion and regression continue.

The defeat was painful, but what followed was even more so.

As the one responsible for that bitter defeat, you have lifted me up once again.

I am sorry.

I am sorry, and again, I am sorry.

How much pain you must have endured.

How earnest your longing must have been.

In the face of the united hearts of party members, supporters, and the people, I feel not only desperation but also a sense of solemnity.

The weight of this immense responsibility makes me bow my head in humility.

Rise from defeat and win without fail!

Overcome rebellion and restore democracy!

Restore livelihoods and revive the economy!

Unite the people and advance to the world!

The supreme command given with one heart and one mind by 2.5 million party comrades and tens of millions of citizens who support the Democratic Party.

Is this correct?

If this is your will, will you shout it together?

Let us overcome rebellion and restore democracy.

Let us restore livelihoods and revive the economy.

Let us unite the people and advance to the world.

Let us rise from defeat and win without fail.

Let us shake off defeat and win without fail!

Thank you, comrades.

Today, 23 years ago, President Roh Moo-hyun was elected as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.

Aspiring to be the 'eldest brother of a new era,' Roh boldly declared, "Let us end the era of distrust and division, and move into an era of reform and unity."

Just as April 27, 2002, was,

so too will April 27, 2025, be the dawn of a new era.

It will be remembered as the day the darkness of rebellion was lifted and the dawn of a hopeful world began,

the day the era of ruling elites and sovereigns ended and the true era of the sovereign people, the true Republic of Korea, began.

Our descendants will remember this day,

and gain the courage to turn any hardship into an opportunity,

and have hope that tomorrow will be better than today.

Will you join as protagonists in this great new beginning, this epochal change?

Will you prove through action and practice that the people are the true owners of this country?

I know well how difficult this is.

But it must be done, and it can be done.

Because we have a great people who stood unarmed against guns and armored vehicles!

Because we have a great people who, with their undying, brilliant light, made a mark in the history of world democracy!

We can do it.

We will achieve it.

Is that right?

Right here, because we have comrades together,

we can overcome today's adversity and build the true Republic of Korea.

I thank candidates Kim Kyungsoo and Kim Dongyeon, who competed beautifully until the end.

They are valuable assets to our party and reliable comrades.

Please give a warm round of applause to both candidates.

From now on, Kim Dongyeon's vision is Lee Jaemyung's vision.

From now on, Kim Kyungsoo's dream is Lee Jaemyung's dream.

We will become an even stronger Democratic Party and win as one team.

Our proud Democratic Party members and supporters

have always presented the future of the nation through the wisest and most courageous choices.

During the IMF crisis, you chose President Kim Dae-jung,

accelerating the overcoming of the national crisis and laying the foundation for Korea as an IT powerhouse and a cultural giant.

By choosing President Roh Moo-hyun, you paved a new path to overcome regionalism and authoritarianism.

By choosing President Moon Jae-in,

you carried on the Candlelight Revolution and opened a new horizon of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

So that the 'fourth Democratic government' of Lee Jaemyung will be clearly etched as a pillar of those wise choices, I will win without fail.

From this moment,

Lee Jaemyung is not only the Democratic Party's candidate

but also the candidate of all people who long for the end of rebellion, overcoming of crisis, unity, and national happiness.

With greater humility, I will fulfill my responsibility for national unity, the primary mission of politics and the president.

The praetorian military coup by the incumbent president stemmed from a base desire to exclude dialogue and compromise, annihilate opponents, and establish permanent rule through military government.

Restoring the values of coexistence and communication,

and reviving a culture of dialogue and compromise is the shortcut to restoring the democracy destroyed by rebellion.

Creating new engines of growth and sharing opportunities and outcomes of growth equally

is the driving force to reduce polarization and move toward a society where all prosper together.

Restoring democracy is the path to national unity.

Restoring growth is the path to national unity.

Reducing disparities is the path to national unity.

We will close the door on the old era stained by inequality, despair, conflict, and confrontation,

and open an era of national happiness overflowing with hope and love through national unity.

For a new world, I will make not Lee Jaemyung's victory, but the people's victory.

Comrades,

will you join me on this new path of hope?

Respected citizens,

this presidential election is a historic watershed that will determine whether the Republic of Korea will rise as a nation that leads the world through national unity,

or continue down the path of destructive regression and fall to the periphery of the world.

This is not a contest between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, but a contest between the future and the past.

A contest between progress and regression.

A contest between hope and despair, and between unity and division.

A complex crisis, difficult to bear, is upon us.

Over the past three years, the people's economy has been driven to the brink.

Prices have soared, unemployment and business closures have increased.

Incomes have fallen, and stock prices have crashed.

Everywhere across the country, the people's sighs are overflowing.

The democracy that supported our society, the values of freedom and human rights that our people have defended with their blood and sweat, have faced the worst crisis in just three years.

Even peace and security have been reduced to tools for political strife and power retention,

and our people are bearing all the consequences.

To save the weary lives of the people and restore democracy and peace,

to restore growth and reestablish our national dignity,

will require unimaginable amounts of sweat and tears.

We can no longer be tied to the past,

caught up in ideological camps, repeating division and conflict.

We cannot afford to ruin the nation's future 30 or 50 years from now through further regression and backwardness.

In the world order of unlimited competition brought by the second Trump administration,

and in the era of ultra-scientific civilization centered on AI,

our internal ideologies and emotions are trivial and petty matters.

No ideology or doctrine can stop the tide of the times.

No ideology or doctrine has meaning in the face of the people's lives and the nation's destiny.

We must go beyond the 'imitative ability' that made today's Republic of Korea and develop leading capabilities.

Even if we fall a single step behind, we become mere followers facing the risk of collapse, but if we step just half a step ahead, we become pioneers enjoying infinite opportunities.

With insight, determination, and the ability to act, who will turn the great crisis before us into an opportunity and, by stepping half a step ahead, create the true Republic of Korea?

Who is the candidate who will overcome today's confusion and despair and achieve Korea's resurgence,

not as a ruler or sovereign, but as an excellent tool of the great people,

the prepared presidential candidate?

Let us unite the people's aspirations for a better country, overcome the crisis, and forge a new path.

Let us move from Moksanism's material foundation to Jalsanism.

Let us leap forward to become a 'true Republic of Korea' that leads the world!

Fellow citizens,

we long for new hope as much as we have experienced deep despair.

Our people are more united than ever

with strong passion for a new world.

Imagine what kind of country the Republic of Korea will become if we overcome this national crisis and create a new nation that leads the world.

An advanced industrial powerhouse where AI talent from around the world flocks in search of jobs.

A balanced development nation where every corner of Korea prospers, and people return to rural, mountain, and fishing villages.

A strong security nation where the best soldiers, armed with the most advanced weapons, take pride in defending the homeland.

A cultural powerhouse that sets new global standards for content, moving and entertaining the world.

A model democracy that rationally mediates conflicting interests and creates better alternatives.

A 'Jalsanism' happiness nation where children's laughter, youth's vigor, adults' responsibility, and the wisdom of the elderly come together in harmony and unity.

A dignified country where smiles of fulfillment spread at home, at work, at school, on the streets,

and even in alleys at sunset on the way home from work.

Don't you want to live in such a country?

A country that will become the global standard in the new civilization era,

a small but great Republic of Korea where ordinary people live as true owners.

Shall we build it together?

Respected citizens,

I have always said that crisis is opportunity, but looking back, my life has always had more crises than opportunities.

Not once was the process smooth, not once was the struggle easy.

But every time things were difficult,

party comrades and the people lifted me up when I was battered and fallen.

The five-thousand-year history of this land, like a roly-poly toy, is the same.

When incompetent and corrupt vested interests brought us down, ordinary people always stood us back up.

On June 3, our people will write a new chapter in that great epic.

If we work together,

disorder, anger, wounds, and despair will disappear, and new hope will blossom.

If we join hands,

injustice, lies, and division will stop, and the river of justice and unity will overflow.

If all the people unite and move forward together,

this country, once in decline, will soar and spread its wings across the world.

Just as high mountains have deep valleys and sunlight follows shadow,

when one door closes, another opens.

Somewhere within crisis lies the door to opportunity.

Fellow citizens,

are you ready to overcome the pain of rebellion and move forward to a true Republic of Korea overflowing with dreams and hope?

Are you ready to gather all the people's energy with solidarity, coexistence, and consideration,

and open a new democratic republic?

Even in the depths of despair and hardship,

I trust in our great people, who have always found light and created hope.

Let us join hands and complete the revolution of light.

Let us move forward to a 'true Republic of Korea,' where, as the name of our nation suggests, everyone on this land lives as an equal owner!

I, Lee Jaemyung, am now the name of hope you have given me.

I am the name of opportunity you have revived.

I am the name of the useful and loyal servant who will build a 'true Republic of Korea' that leads the world.

The true Republic of Korea?today, we begin that historic journey.

I, Lee Jaemyung, will be at the center of that great course.

That is why, now, it is Lee Jaemyung.

I am proud to share this historic moment with the great people!

I will accept the mandate of the Democratic Party and the people and will surely win.

Following the aspirations of the people and the wishes of party members, I will create a new Republic of Korea.

Thank you, fellow citizens!

I believe in you, comrades!