South Korean politician Lee Jae-myung, who once said he aspired to be a ‘successful Bernie Sanders,’ is leading the field to replace Moon Jae-in as president after rising to prominence with an aggressive pandemic response and a populist economic agenda
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung speaks during an interview with Reuters in Suwon, South Korea, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Heo Ran
As governor, Lee advocated for universal basic income and instituted cash payments to all 24-year-old people for a year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all province residents also received regular payments. But with many South Koreans disillusioned by runaway housing prices, a poor employment outlook for young people and a string of corruption scandals, that populist message has driven him to the head of the pack as he looks to blunt conservatives' efforts to capitalise on voter discontent.
"Only politicians who have the courage and driving force to put up with the resistance and backlash from the establishment can keep and fulfil promises and achieve results," Lee said during a primary in the eastern province of Gangwon on Sunday. "And I have never made a promise that I could not keep.
A longtime advocate of universal basic income, Lee vowed to provide 1 million won to all citizens and another 1 million to people aged 19-29 every year if he takes office. "I will adopt universal basic income as a national policy to pave the way for a grand transition from a low burden, low welfare state to a medium burden, medium welfare state, while minimising tax resistance," he told a news conference in late July.Lee, who came in third during the Democratic Party's last presidential primary in 2017, has been dogged by personal controversy while in office, including allegations of an affair with an actress, which he has denied.
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