Democratic Labor Party's Kwon Youngguk Begins Campaign at Labor Site: "I Cannot Give Up"

Kwon Youngguk, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Labor Party, began his campaign early in the morning at a labor site.

Kwon Youngguk, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Labor Party, visited the high-altitude protest site of Sejong Hotel and Geotonggo Branch on the 12th. Democratic Labor Party

On the 12th, at the high-altitude protest site of Sejong Hotel and Geotonggo Branch, Kwon stated, "With my comrades here, I cannot give up," and added, "I will make sure to bring attention to the high-altitude protest during the TV debate."

At 7:30 a.m., at Guro Digital Complex, Kwon raised his voice regarding the issue of easing labor time regulations, which has been reignited by measures such as the Semiconductor Special Act. At 9:30 a.m., he will hold a meeting with workers from the Seoul branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

At 2:00 p.m., Kwon will attend the forum "Women Voters Speak About the 21st Presidential Election," hosted by Women’s News, Korea YWCA, and the Korean Women’s Associations United. At 7:00 p.m., in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, he will hold a major campaign rally for the Seoul metropolitan area and a launch ceremony for the labor campaign team. Kim Hokyu, former chairperson of the Metal Workers’ Union, will serve as the chief campaign manager for labor, while Um Gilyong, chairperson of the Public Transport Workers’ Union; Jang Changryeol, chairperson of the Metal Workers’ Union; Choi Heeseon, chairperson of the Health and Medical Workers’ Union; and Shin Hwansub, chairperson of the Chemical, Textile, and Food Workers’ Union, will serve as co-chairs.

Kwon is the only candidate from a progressive party and was selected by the Presidential Election Coalition for Social Transformation, which consists of the Justice Party, Labor Party, Green Party, and various civil society organizations. The Justice Party earned the right to participate in the TV debate by securing more than 3% of the proportional representation votes in the 2022 local elections for metropolitan councilors. Kwon, a former dismissed worker at Poongsan Metal, passed the bar exam in 1999 and has been active in the labor field as a legal representative for Ssangyong Motor’s mass layoff case and as the head of the fact-finding team for the Guui Station Kim case. His main campaign pledges include: ▲ electoral system reform ▲ amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act ▲ a 1 million won minimum citizen income ▲ a new ultra-wealth tax on the top 0.1% ▲ enactment of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law ▲ alternative legislation for the abortion ban ▲ legalization of same-sex marriage ▲ and a refugee law that respects human rights.