[2017 Presidential Dreams] ② Seongnam-si Mayor Lee Jae-myung, "We Need a Revolutionary Change.. A Tough Field Commander Should Lead"

[경향신문] Mayor of Seongnam-si Lee Jae-myung (53, Minjoo Party of Korea), who has emerged as a strong presidential candidate from the opposition through the "candlelight demonstrations" said on January 3, "Others all talk about growth and growth, but that is populism. We need to fairly distribute economic opportunities and resources and restore fairness in our economic order." This day during an interview of presidential candidates in the Kyunghyang Shinmun reception room, Lee also added, "The best way is to strengthen the labor unions like President Roosevelt, who had the National Guard support the union strikes."

Lee continued, "In our society, those with vested interests are the economic force called the chaebol. We need to clearly express our intention to fight this huge force. If we handle things according to the law, the chaebol will be disbanded."

- Why is it Lee Jae-myung now?

"The most serious problem of this age is unfairness. Building a fair nation begins with keeping away from corruption and fairly exercising public authority. I have not once deviated from that path up until this moment. I fiercely fought against those with vested interest, injustice, irregularities, and unfairness and I have won. It may be small, but I have obtained results that I can prove. In our society, those with vested interests are the economic forces called the chaebol. We need to clearly express our intention to fight this huge force with vested interests. I call for the dismantling of the chaebol system. We can do that easily. All we have to do is handle things according to the law. We simply punish unfair internal transactions and exclusive contracts with affiliates for dereliction of duty to prevent excessive dominance. The extortion of technologies developed by small and medium-sized enterprises is a violation of the Patent Act. The Labor Standards Act blocks companies from making their workers work more than 52 hours a week, but companies don't abide by this law. If companies hired workers properly according to the law, 600,000 jobs would be created. I'm just saying that we need to clearly give criminal punishment for irregularities."

- Some say that your image as "soda (referring to the refreshing feeling Lee gives people for voicing their thoughts)" and "a fighter" is blocking you from expanding your support base.

"The opponent that I am fighting against is the corrupt group with vested interests, who have turned our country into one infested with crime. We need to tackle this. We need to coexist with our neighbors. But we need to catch and get rid of the robber hiding next door. Insisting that we must move toward the conservatives amidst the current conservatives and progressives means we need to tolerate a bit of wrongdoing and corruption. I am going to maintain my current position. I have no intention to move my position in order to be chosen. The world's not going to change with that."

- The Prosecutors' Office will be an important means for social reforms.

"Reforming the Prosecutors' Office is important. This sword (Prosecutors' Office) has become rusty and corrupt. It's not a problem of the system, but one of personnel appointments. Appoint someone like Yun Seok-yeol as public prosecutor general. If you tell them, 'Investigate as you wish. You can arrest everyone, even my family and my son,' the prosecutors would be delighted to investigate and catch all the criminals. That is my dream."

- Your soaring approval ratings have slowed down lately.

"I didn't just one day suddenly become a presidential candidate. In February 2015, I entered the polls for the first time with a 1% approval rating in a survey by Gallup Korea. When the government started accusing me of being a North Korean follower, people thought that Lee Jae-myung would die, but that was the day I was born politically. The public discovered a politician fiercely fighting against such ideological accusations. Then my approval ratings suddenly shot up with the candlelight demonstrations. So I don't think my supporters will disappear that easily. However, the assessment that I fought well has already been reflected in my approval ratings, so now, I think people will begin to think about whether I am a person who they can share their future with. That is why I am working hard to prepare my policies."

- Compared to your approval ratings, the organization and force of your support base seems weak, is it not?

"If I gather these forces and people and then become the party's candidate, then where will the other members of the party go to? There is this robot, Taekwon V known as the Minjoo Party of Korea. All I need to do is to get into the pilot seat. Why should I make another robot, Mazinger Z? If I occupied the room next to the door, the side room, the front room, and the room across from that and then tell the people newly entering to stand in the yard empty handed, who would do that?"

- If you expressed Lee Jae-myung's economic policy in one concept?

"It would be a fair economy. Everyone else is all talking about growth and growth, but that's actually populism. A time when growth itself benefited everyone has passed. We need to fairly distribute economic opportunities and resources and restore fairness in our economic order. The best way is to strengthen the labor unions like President Roosevelt, who had the National Guard support the union strikes. I think this is the way for economic growth. In addition to this, we need to adjust our tax policy. If we place the 28 trillion or 30 trillion won (from additional tax revenues) in the hands of the people as basic income, youth allowance, and child benefits, our economy will grow."

- What about your principles on foreign affairs and security?

"I pursue an independent and balanced foreign policy. We need to expand and develop our relationship with the U.S., but we must not turn this into a subordinate relationship. We need to gain what we can by using China as an excuse against the U.S. and the U.S. as an excuse against China. Isn't that what the Philippines are doing? We need to take the initiative and create our fate by consulting our neighboring countries instead of leaving our fate in their hands. The armistice should be converted into a peace agreement. Since the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex is illegal, we need to resume operation there. We also need to restore tourism of Mount Kumgang and restore economic cooperation between North and South Korea."

- What will you do if the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is placed before the presidential election?

"We will have to withdraw them. The THAAD missiles are originally made to be mobile, not fixed to one spot, so we can place them during training or in times of crises. We will have to make this argument persuasive. We also shoulder a higher rate of the costs for the U.S. Forces in Korea compared with Germany and Japan. We actually need to persuade the U.S. to lower that rate."

- If the U.S. says they will withdraw the U.S. Forces, should we say, "Try, if you can"?

"Sure. And we need to be prepared. We can't just keep giving them what they ask for. We also need to be independent in our national defense. We need to get back wartime operational control. Since we spend more on national defense (than North Korea), we can sufficiently defend ourselves. We shouldn't act like a subordinate, giving in to unfair and excessive demands just because the U.S. demands them. Instead we should prepare for the day that the U.S. Forces withdraw from our country."

- What are the good and bad points about former party leader Moon Jae-in?

"He is a great man, capable of leading South Korea into an age of peace. Didn't I say that he would be a great leader like Sejong the Great? But right now, we have a special situation. We need a revolutionary change, and that change is actually occurring. In this situation we need a tough field commander."

- Often, the party failed to come together in the presidential election because you failed to resolve the ill feelings that surfaced during the party primary.

"(In the last presidential election) Ahn Cheol-soo's supporters failed to reconcile with Moon Jae-in and turned against Moon. That influenced the election results significantly. This time, we have to try not to have the same thing happen again. We need to accept criticism based on fact. We mustn't spread false information. We also need to refrain from words of contempt, slander and backbiting. In boxing, punching hard is good, punching and putting up one's guard is good, but I'm saying we shouldn't spit and pinch. We're not good at this yet, but in the end, the candidate needs to straighten things out."

- The Minjoo Party of Korea has once again mentioned a union of the opposition.

"The people will want a person who can unite, integrate, and bring the people together. I think a lot of this will be reflected in the process of the Minjoo Party's open primary. If one breaks the wishes (for integration) of the owners (the people) for one's aspirations (to become president), that would be the behavior of someone who wants to 'rule'."

- Seongnam-si Mayor Lee Jae-myung shares his thoughts on a presidential bid during a New Year's interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun in Gyeonghuigung Palace, Jongno-gu, Seoul on January 3. Park Min-gyu, Senior Reporter

■ Seongnam-si mayor Lee Jae-myung

Born in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do (53). Earned middle and high school diplomas through the qualification examination. Graduated from the Department of Law at Chung-Ang University. Was exempted from military service (Grade-6 disability). Worked as a lawyer (Passed 28th bar). Served as chairman of the executive committee, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy's Seongnam chapter. Served as chairman of the Democratic United Party's Council of Lower-tier Local Government Executives. Currently serves as the mayor of Seongnam-si (second term).