The Democratic Party of Korea has restarted its governing plan headquarters for the next presidential election. It has emphasized that 'growth' takes precedence over 'distribution,' showcasing a recent 'rightward turn' surrounding the party leader Lee Jae-myung.
The governing plan headquarters of the Democratic Party held a New Year seminar on the theme 'Growth is the Democratic Party's growth strategy for South Korea' at the National Assembly's member's office building on the morning of the 6th. The governing plan headquarters is an organization launched in October of last year to devise the party's governing strategy. It had temporarily paused its activities after the state of emergency and resumed them that day.
Kim Min-seok, the Democratic Party's highest committee member who heads the governing plan headquarters, noted, 'One of the countless failures of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is that there has been neither an ideal nor practical strategy for economic growth and industrial policy.' He added, 'The Democratic Party has a tradition of leading South Korea's democratic growth, as seen in Kim Dae-jung's IT policies and Roh Moo-hyun's Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA).'
Rep. Lee Chun-seok, who heads the party's sovereignty headquarters, stated, 'For the Democratic Party to become a competent party, it must present a clear strategy for South Korea and take care of the people's lives,' and emphasized, 'Efforts are needed to recover and grow in order to escape from the economic recession and livelihood crisis under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.'
On that day, the governing plan headquarters proposed to prioritize growth, aiming to achieve a 3% economic growth rate within five years and subsequently leap to a 4% growth rate. They particularly highlighted the importance of overcoming the economic recession first, adding that 'first growth, then welfare' is also possible. This implies that for the core economic principle of Lee's 'meeksanism' (the issue of making a living) to be realized, growth must be the prerequisite.
On that day, Ju Hyung-cheol, head of the K-meeksanism headquarters, stated that industrial policy should take the lead over fiscal policy. He also argued that direct government support for corporations is necessary. Specifically, he mentioned areas such as ▲leading industrial policy ▲nurturing six 'hectocorns' (corporations valued over 100 trillion won) ▲AI leadership ▲vitalizing tourism and small businesses based on K-culture ▲supporting the security industry. He emphasized that substantial capital supply and market support should be provided so that companies like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix can emerge in the so-called 'ABCDE' fields: artificial intelligence, bio, culture, defense industry, energy, and food.
Head Ju noted, 'If we create a fund exceeding 50 trillion won and ensure annual investments of 10 trillion to 20 trillion won, a new corporation can certainly emerge.' He continued, 'The results of growth must manifest in the lives of the people,' stressing that strengthening welfare and distribution requires an increase in good jobs and balanced development.
The growth prioritization advocated by the governing plan headquarters aligns with the 'pragmatism' and 'pro-business' stance claimed by Representative Lee Jae-myung. However, as recent critiques from the progressive camp point to a 'rightward turn' of Representative Lee, many statements emphasizing that 'we are not abandoning welfare and distribution' were made during the seminar.
◇Democrats activate presidential election preparation organizations
The Democratic Party has been cautious about interpretations that it has embarked on early presidential election preparations. With President Yoon's impeachment trial underway, there is a concern that the party could be perceived as an 'occupying army', which could lead to a backlash. Chief spokesperson Cho Seung-rae also met with reporters at the National Assembly that day, clarifying, 'It is natural for a party to consistently envision its vision and policies,' and asserted that it is unrelated to early presidential elections.
Nevertheless, in the political arena, the emergence of organizations preparing pledges has led to the view that the Democratic Party has effectively entered an early presidential election phase. The Democratic Party will launch a think tank under the Democratic Research Institute called 'Everyone's Question Q' on the 7th, which will compile the diverse opinions and discussions of stakeholders related to policy. Special committees for public livelihood recovery and salary security, which have been active for some time, also contribute to pledge preparations.
A Democratic Party official commented, 'It is true that various organizations within the party are developing policies and bills with the prospect of pledging for the presidential election in mind,' adding, 'The recent establishment of new special committees within the party is not unrelated to this.'