Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, campaigned intensively in Incheon and Gyeonggi-do on the first day of early voting, the 29th, and also held a meeting with social workers. Candidate Kim promised to implement customized welfare similar to the "Infinite Care" policy, which was a representative policy brand during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, and to improve the treatment of social workers.
Around 2:50 p.m., Candidate Kim appeared at the Choji Comprehensive Social Welfare Center located in Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. After finishing the Siheung campaign schedule, he changed from his campaign attire into a white shirt and light blue pants.
Introducing the "Infinite Care" program he implemented during his term as governor, Kim assessed, "I think it was the best thing I did in administration."
In Nov. 2008, during his tenure as governor, Gyeonggi Province launched the "Infinite Care Project" to support families hit by the economic crisis. The project identified welfare blind spots in real time and provided demand-driven customized support. Additionally, by shifting from a government-led initiative to include community cooperative organizations and corporations, the private sector was also involved in the welfare projects.
Candidate Kim expressed his views on welfare policies by saying, "The combination of government systems and budgets, private sector initiative, and love for people, isn't this true welfare?"
Further elaborating on the direction of welfare policies, he added that the "Neulbom School" policy and family-work balance measures such as parental leave and salary systems pursued by the Yoon Suk-yeol government should be adjusted to be beneficiary-oriented welfare.
The meeting on this day lasted about 40 minutes. The Ansan campaign rally in front of Ansan Culture Square was scheduled to start at 3:50 p.m. Therefore, the candidate's staff requested the welfare center to wrap up the meeting quickly. As a result, attendees seemed hesitant to speak up.
However, Candidate Kim repeatedly urged attendees, saying, "Please raise issues. Don't you have specific ones? Please speak up," encouraging discussion by saying, "For example, there might be many and rough demands from people with disabilities to social workers."
Finally, attendees continued speaking, suggesting ▲improvements in the support system for social workers caring for people with developmental disabilities ▲improvements in benefits such as holiday and night shift allowances ▲improvements in aging facilities ▲increases in field personnel.
Listening to their statements, Candidate Kim said, "We will pay attention to various measures, including improving treatment, so that working people don't experience burnout." He also urged, "Taking care of people is so challenging. You must speak up in whatever form, whether through associations or another method. If you remain silent or don't appropriately raise your voice, we won't know. Continuously expressing your intentions helps policymakers listen."
One social worker who attended the meeting shared impressions, stating, "I thought the meeting would end early. I was surprised when the presidential candidate encouraged us to keep speaking despite the lack of time. As the candidate mentioned, we need to raise our voices more."
Meanwhile, Candidate Kim also shared stories about his daughter Dongju and son-in-law, who are currently working as social workers in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.
He said, "My daughter and son-in-law met in the Bucheon Catholic Welfare Department, got married, and are living well," adding, "When they were getting married, many people asked, 'What will you do if both spouses are social workers and become beneficiaries?' I simply said that since my daughter loves him, that's enough."
There is also an analysis that Candidate Kim's decision to schedule this meeting with social workers was an attempt to differentiate himself from Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate whose 'family risk' was exposed, and Lee Jun-seok, the candidate accused of causing a second victimization controversy with misogynistic remarks in a broadcast debate.
During the third presidential debate broadcast, Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party candidate, attacked Lee Jae-myung regarding online comments made by Lee's son, prompting a backlash from the Democratic Party, which responded with the publication and distribution of a 'Lee Jun-seok candidate's infamy compilation' in a counterattack.