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| Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, and his wife Kim Hye-kyung participate in an online sunrise event at a beach in Busan’s Saha District, Sunday. Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
January is expected to be a crucial period in the race for the presidential election set for March 9.
The competition is mainly about the rival candidates of the country’s two major parties, but the support rates of both Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) have been on the decrease over corruption allegations or wrongdoings by their family members.
Seeking a breakthrough amid smear campaigns against each other, both candidates and their election camps have vowed all-out efforts for campaigning and promoting election pledges.
Lee is expected to focus on differentiating his policy promises from the current Moon Jae-in government’s policy failures in various areas of the economy, especially in stabilizing the real-estate market.
The ruling party candidate has also vowed to provide further support for small business owners who have been suffering sales declines due to the government’s COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.
On Sunday, the ruling party candidate wrote on his Facebook that he will introduce a carried forward tax credit system that allows young people to receive tax credits for monthly rents that date back up to five years.
“The rate of those living on monthly rent is gradually increasing due to the change in the type of residence, but young people with few assets and low income cannot keep up with the high monthly rent. . . . I will greatly expand support for people living on monthly rent,” Lee said.
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| Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), answers questions during a press conference about his policy promise to create a digital platform-based government, at the party headquarters on Seoul’s Yeouido, Sunday. Joint Press Corps |
On the same day, Yoon promised to create a digital platform-based government, vowing to listen to more opinions from the people by introducing the inclusive platform and more AI technologies to support it. Taking the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, the digital platform could offer an online all-source situation room where various ministries could exchange information in real time and collect and analyze accumulated data and expert opinions with an AI system.
“The Moon Jae-in government has been a government for itself, while neglecting communication with the people,” Yoon said during a press conference at the PPP headquarters in Seoul.
“In order to hide the failure of the initial COVID-19 prevention and the introduction of the vaccine, the Moon government hid a lot of information and forced the sacrifice of millions of self-employed people by taking unscientific quarantine measures. If a digital platform government takes office, the response to infectious diseases will become much more scientific and sophisticated.”
Presidential candidates vow all-out efforts for campaigns in New Year
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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