Lee Jae-myung must address his trust deficit

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Lee Jae-myung must address his trust deficit

Published: 28 Apr. 2025, 00:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Lee Jae-myung gives a speech after winning the Democratic Party's presidential primary at Gyeonggi's Kintex on April 27. [YONHAP]

Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party (DP), has been nominated as the party’s presidential candidate for the June 3 election. In the primary that concluded Sunday, Lee won overwhelming support, securing 89.77 percent of the vote. Having lost the 20th presidential election by a margin of just 0.73 percentage points, Lee now makes his second bid for the presidency in the 21st election, triggered by the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol following his declaration of martial law.

In his acceptance speech the same day, Lee said, “We have no time to be mired in ideological or factional conflicts,” adding, “In the world order of endless competition ushered in by Trump’s second term, and the emerging civilization centered on AI, our internal ideologies and emotions are trivial and petty matters.” His vow to avoid futile ideological disputes and instead focus on national unity and economic recovery is appropriate.

However, for such promises to resonate with voters, Lee must first overcome his “trust deficit.” A key reason some voters question whether his words can be trusted is his frequent flip-flopping. The controversy surrounding his “rightward shift” is emblematic. Lee, who previously emphasized redistribution, shifted his focus to economic growth ahead of the election. Past proposals such as a land ownership tax are no longer mentioned; instead, his flagship pledge is to invest 100 trillion won ($70 billion) in artificial intelligence. Yet despite AI advancement requiring a stable power supply, a bill for special legislation to promote nuclear energy, submitted six months ago, was brought to a parliamentary subcommittee only to fail due to the DP’s indifference.

Doubts also persist that Lee may be hastily crafting pledges to appeal to centrist and conservative voters. His reversal on easing the 52-hour workweek for semiconductor industries is a case in point. Initially, Lee said exceptions should be strictly limited to high-wage workers and research and development sectors. But after strong resistance from party hard-liners and labor unions, he backtracked. Later, on YouTube, he claimed, “I never said I would introduce an exception to the 52-hour workweek. I merely suggested debating its rationality.” Although Lee once said, “The economy is so broken that there is no room to talk about redistribution or fairness,” the DP went ahead with controversial bills opposed by the business community, such as amendments to the Commercial Act and the so-called Yellow Envelope Bill. While Lee appeared to distance himself from the Moon Jae-in administration’s regulation-heavy real estate policies, the DP’s latest livelihood agenda includes a proposal to guarantee tenants’ right to housing for 10 years. These inconsistencies only evoke memories of his infamous remark: “When I said ‘I respect Park Geun-hye,’ people actually believed me.”

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, left, and June Paik, CEO of chip designer FuriosaAI, shake hands during Lee's visit to the startup's office in southern Seoul on April 14. [JOONGANG ILBO]

If Lee wins the presidency, Korea would see the emergence of a government dominating the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Unlike under the Yoon administration, where the DP held a parliamentary majority, the absence of effective legislative checks would allow unilateral passage of laws. As a result, concerns persist that Lee’s administration might reveal its progressive biases through reckless spending. To dispel such fears, Lee must present a concrete plan for constitutional reform toward a decentralized system and commit to a clear timetable. He has also pledged not to engage in political retaliation, but he must propose specific mechanisms to guarantee this promise. To avoid accusations of opportunistic flip-flopping, he must firmly establish his stances on sensitive policy issues and demonstrate a strategy for keeping hard-liners within his party in check.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.