Ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon declares presidential bid

Seoul (South Korea), July 5: Ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon officially launched his presidential bid Monday, pledging to recover the country's dwindling middle class.
Lee, also a former five-term lawmaker and ex-chief of the ruling Democratic Party, announced that he will join the race to win the party's ticket to run in the March 9 presidential election.
With the slogan of "a country that safeguards my life," Lee focused his campaign message on his pledges to relieve the country's growing economic disparity and beef up the national welfare system.
"The middle class, which represented 65 percent (of the country's population) 10 years ago, has now come down to 57 percent," Lee said, announcing his presidential bid via his YouTube channel. "I will build a middle class (oriented) economy. I will expand the proportion of the middle class to 70 percent."
He added that "society becomes stronger against a crisis and its inequality gets alleviated when the middle class makes up a big portion."
Lee also committed to "a new national welfare system" that will guarantee more robust social mobility and the prevention of the inheritance of social class.
"Social disparity is growing day by day. Growing inequality is becoming even more aggravated with the outbreak of COVID-19," he pointed out, pledging to rebuild justice.
Source: Yonhap