Kim Dong-yeon, a candidate in the Democratic Party of Korea presidential primary, said on the 21st, "Recently, the Democratic Party has had to express regret about making (choices) that deviate from the values we pursue, being conscious of the election and various other issues."

On the 21st, Kim Dong-yeon, a candidate for the presidential primary from the Democratic Party of Korea, is explaining women's policies at a meeting held under the theme 'Gender Equality for All, A World Revisited' in the members' office building of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

After attending a women's forum hosted by the Korean Women's Political Institute at the National Assembly Member's Office Building in the afternoon, Kim responded to reporters' questions regarding the observation that "the Democratic Party is handling women's gender issues more passively compared to the last presidential election."

Kim is the only candidate in the Democratic Party primary to release a women's pledge. Among the women's pledges disclosed by Kim was the introduction of a non-consensual rape law.

Kim pointed to "tax cuts" as a representative example of actions taken with the election in mind, stating, "It is populism. I don't know how to explain this when presidential candidates promise to spend hundreds of trillions of won on tax cuts when our country is struggling like this."

He continued, "If you're going to make pledges that require significant funding, you should have the honesty to advocate for tax increases as well."

Additionally, Kim noted regarding women's policies, "To pursue values such as fairness and equality that the Democratic Party holds, we must be more proactive and assertive in addressing women's issues," adding, "If that is a decision made with election strategy or votes in mind, it is not typical of the Democratic Party, and it's a cowardly act."

Meanwhile, ahead of the Democratic Party's Honam Regional Primary on the 26th, Kim announced pledges for the Honam region on this day.

Kim presented pledges including ▲ Incorporating the spirit of May 18 into the constitutional preamble and promoting the designation of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement ▲ Fully restoring the old Jeonnam provincial office to its original form ▲ Expanding the Honam regional transportation network ▲ Enhancing public medical infrastructure in Honam ▲ Strong support for the bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics in Jeonju.

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