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DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung begins campaign in bulletproof vest

Published: 12 May. 2025, 15:56 Updated: 12 May. 2025, 18:18

Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung speaks at Cheonggye Plaza in Jongno District, central Seoul on May 12. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate for the liberal Democratic Party (DP), wearing a bulletproof vest, launched his official campaign for the 21st presidential election at Cheonggye Plaza in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Monday.

Some 20,000 supporters gathered for the kickoff rally, held on the first official day of the campaign period, according to the DP.

“This election is not a contest between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, but a showdown with entrenched powers that brought the nation to the brink through insurrection, destroying the constitutional order and the lives of the people,” said Lee.

“Although the ringleaders of the rebellion were brought to trial and stripped of the presidency, the remnants of that insurrection continue to launch second and third waves of revolt, ignoring the Constitution,” said Lee. “But their rebellion will never succeed.”

“Three years ago, they seized everything after a razor-thin victory, but their arrogance and greed have plunged the people into suffering,” said Lee. “Society is now so fractured that a presidential candidate must campaign in a bulletproof vest.”

“The people’s livelihoods are on the edge, democracy and national dignity are crumbling and peace and security have been reduced to tools of power maintenance,” Lee continued.

Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung wears his party's uniform at Cheonggye Plaza in Jongno District, central Seoul on May 12. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Lee stressed that “ending the insurrection and overcoming the crisis is only the first step,” and envisioned a nation reborn as a “new standard for a new civilization era,” rather than a return to the precrisis Korea.

“We can no longer afford to be trapped in the past or divided by ideology and political camps,” Lee said. “There is no longer a progressive problem or a conservative problem — only Korea’s problem.”

With no transition period planned should he win the presidency, Lee noted that the next president will have to take the helm of a “shipwreck” without pause. “We need a competent captain who can immediately get to work and steer Korea through towering waves of crisis,” Lee said.

“Give Lee Jae-myung the chance to serve,” he urged. “I will prove how one person can change the world. Choose me as a useful tool and faithful servant dedicated to the people’s happiness.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]