[Reporter’s Notebook] A Cheering Stick for "Boy Factory Worker Lee Jaemyung"

Giving Hope to Many Workers
Empathy and Solidarity Through Factory Accident Experience

"I can't believe Lee Jaemyung, once a boy factory worker, has become president..."

Around midnight on the 3rd, a citizen watching the results of the 21st presidential election count in front of the large stage set up in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, repeatedly exclaimed in awe while waving a blue glowing cheering stick. With rough, heavy hands, he kept wiping away tears. Though his voice trembled with emotion, his hand holding the cheering stick was full of strength.

In front of the National Assembly, the shouts of supporters crying out "Lee Jaemyung is our hope" and "President Lee Jaemyung" filled the air. President Lee Jaemyung, who was often described with the labels "boy factory worker" and "dirt spoon," has become a figure of hope for many workers. His impoverished childhood and the grueling factory work that led to an industrial accident became the driving force for his survival.

Driven by the determination to escape a life at the bottom, the boy factory worker who scattered thumbtacks on his desk to stay awake while studying eventually became a human rights lawyer. While dedicating himself to community activism in Seongnam, he experienced the setback of the campaign to establish Seongnam Municipal Medical Center, which led him to knock on the door of politics.

During the presidential campaign, many transportation workers in delivery company uniforms, restaurant and cafe workers, taxi drivers, and construction workers were particularly visible at President Lee's rallies. They looked at him with deep, thoughtful eyes, likely because his life did not seem like someone else's story to them.

As a child, President Lee worked in a factory to earn money and suffered a permanent disability, with one arm bent due to an industrial accident. It is said that he always holds the microphone with one hand to hide this. When he revealed his painful past, audience members at the rallies responded, "I am like that too (I have had such experiences)," with some beating their chests, some tearing up, and others sniffling.

Many are now curious about what kind of political leader the boy factory worker Lee Jaemyung will become. There are questions about whether he will remember the empathy and promises of solidarity he shared with supporters during the campaign, and whether he will be a president who listens as a friend to ordinary people. How he should act is something only President Lee himself knows. "Now is when the real Republic of Korea begins." If he follows through on the weight of those words, that will be enough. If he implements his policy pledges and future vision while meeting the expectations of the people, the driving force for governance will naturally emerge.

The video of presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung embracing his former self as a boy factory worker and saying, "You worked hard," resonated with many during the election. Just as the message in this video suggests, sincerity about life ultimately leads to the empathy of others. We hope President Lee Jaemyung will also be a "president of sincerity."