Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, announced the 'basic society' pledge on the 22nd, saying, 'We will realize all rights of the people specified in our constitution to the maximum in all areas of life, such as housing, healthcare, care, education, and public services, and create a society that the state and society share responsibility for.'

On the afternoon of the 21st, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, visits Gyeonggi Station in Incheon Gyeongguk and campaigns for three consecutive days to capture the votes of the metropolitan area. A banner of Kim Moon-soo, the candidate from the People Power Party, reflects off Lee's bulletproof glass. /Courtesy of News1

On that day, the candidate noted through Facebook, 'The basic life of the people is a society that the national community is responsible for, and we will move toward a basic society.'

He said, 'We must move toward a basic society with a thick safety mat that has no gaps, beyond a social safety net with holes,' adding, 'The basic society does not stop at fragmented welfare policies or income distribution.'

He explained that the basic society is 'a society that practically guarantees the basic lives of all citizens based on the right to pursue happiness and human rights as stipulated in our constitution.'

He proposed several pledges, including the establishment of a national dedicated organization for realizing the basic society and building a public-private cooperation system; creating an income guarantee system by life cycle; strengthening public, essential, and local healthcare; promoting a care basic society; supplying various types of dwellings centered on the needs of users; enhancing the national responsibility for public education; the gradual introduction of a 4.5-day workweek; and promoting the extension of the retirement age.

The candidate proposed, 'We will establish the "Basic Society Committee (Commission for Recovery and Growth for Basic Society)" to comprehensively coordinate and evaluate the establishment of a vision, policy goals, and key tasks for realizing the basic society, as well as the implementation of related policies.'

He also stated, 'To establish an income guarantee system by life cycle, we will gradually expand the eligibility for the child allowance and introduce the "Youth Future Savings" to support young people's asset formation and entry into society.' He added, 'We will expand the application of employment insurance to special employment workers and platform workers and strengthen tailored income support systems for vulnerable groups like young caregivers and young people preparing for independence, who are in gaps of income protection.'

He also mentioned, 'We will expand local currency and Onnuri gift certificates to enhance distribution and ease of use, and restore the vitality of traditional markets and alleyway businesses.'

As for the pledge to strengthen public, essential, and local healthcare, the candidate proposed, 'We will first implement a pilot project for a primary care physician system targeting those in need of special care, such as the elderly, disabled, and children, and then expand it to all citizens.'

Regarding the housing supply pledge, he specifically stated, 'We will expand the provision of various types of affordable, customized public sales and high-quality public rental dwellings,' and 'We will create living environments tailored to various living conditions, such as community dwellings for seniors and intergenerational housing where youth and seniors live together.'

In the public education institutional sector, he pledged, 'We will gradually expand support for child care costs and early childhood education, and improve the teacher-to-child ratio,' also noting, 'We will introduce the 'whole neighborhood elementary care' system to build a care system that the state and society share responsibility for.'

He also emphasized the gradual introduction of a 4.5-day workweek. The candidate stated, 'The increased productivity due to artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology must lead to reduced working hours,' adding, 'We will push for the gradual introduction of the 4.5-day workweek and a roadmap for reducing actual working hours.'

He continued, 'We will push for the extension of the retirement age through social consensus,' and 'We will gradually expand the pilot project for sickness benefits, known as "the right to rest when sick," to provide thicker social safety nets for everyone.'

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