Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, said on the 2nd, a day before the main voting for the June 3 presidential election, 'I will realize a 'Basic Society' where the national community takes responsibility for the basic lives of the people.'

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, appeals for support at the resident church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of December 2, a day before the 21st presidential election, while holding his final press conference. /Courtesy of News1

The candidate stated on Facebook that 'I will create a Korea where lives are not given up because of poverty and that everyone can live with dignity.'

The candidate began by mentioning the 2014 Songpa three daughters incident. He said, 'The shock our society received at that time was so great that I pledged not to forget those who left this world because of poverty.'

He continued, 'However, in 2022, a mother in her 60s and her two daughters who were battling illness, in 2023 a woman in her 40s, and recently, women and daughters in Iksan, once again gave up on life. Although more than ten years have passed, our society has failed to protect them.'

The candidate noted, 'The reality is becoming increasingly harsh,' and added, 'In the past two years, the bankruptcy rate for self-employed individuals has recorded the highest levels ever, surpassing the levels of the COVID-19 pandemic and the IMF foreign exchange crisis, with high interest rates and inflation, compounded by martial law and civil unrest, deepening the crisis.'

'We cannot leave the weak and powerless people in front of this reality abandoned,' he continued, 'I will guarantee the people's lives and safety, as well as a minimum standard of living, asserting that a solid social safety net is a promise that the state must uphold.'

'To ensure that social minorities and vulnerable groups do not give up their lives due to poverty, a society where everyone is guaranteed a minimum living standard, and where we can protect each other in times of crisis, I will establish a 'solid social safety net,'" he said. 'This presidential election is not simply about a change of government; it is an election that will decide whether we can overcome a national crisis comparable to the IMF crisis.'

He remarked, 'I will ensure that the countless 'nameless pains' that currently exist are transformed from despair and resignation into hope,' and added, 'I will increase the desire to live well and shift to politics that saves lives.'

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