DP’s Lee Jae-myung heads south to visit 'K-Initiative Belt', focusing on economic vision

South Korea is now officially in campaign mode for the June 3rd presidential election.

The Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung made his campaign debut in central Seoul, with a call for national unity.

Our correspondent Shin Ha-young starts us off.

Seoul's Gwanghwamun was the first stop of the official campaign of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, where he drew around 20-thousand people.

The DP launched the campaign and Lee delivered his first public speech as the official presidential candidate of the party on Monday at Cheonggye Plaza near Gwanghwamun.

Lee's camp chose this place as his first stop because it's where people gathered with light sticks, calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The DP refers to the process of overcoming the December 3rd martial law declaration and subsequent unrest as a "Revolution of Light."

The concept of the campaign centers on "listening" and "unity."

During the speech Lee emphasized that national unity was his number one priority.

"I'm running not only as the DP's candidate, but for all people who seek to end insurrections, overcome crises, and ensure everyone's happiness. I will lead with humility to unite the country, which I believe is the president's most important duty."

Lee's camp also outlined three key goals: recovery, 회복, growth, 성장, and happiness 행복 along with ten major pledges.

These included boosting the economy, restoring democracy, strengthening national security, and overcoming challenges such as the low birth rate, the aging population, and climate change.

The camp also emphasized transforming South Korea into one of the world's top three AI powers.

After finishing in Seoul, Lee then headed south to visit what the party calls the "K-Initiative Belt," which includes Pangyo and Dongtan in Gyeonggi-do Province, as well as Daejeon.

In Pangyo, known for its IT companies, Lee focused on innovation.

He spoke with workers in IT research and development and said he plans to expand support for startups.

On a visit to Dongtan, home to major chipmaker plants, Lee asked for support as he pledged to boost the semiconductor industry.

"As part of his visit to the "K-Initiative Belt," Lee Jae-myung wrapped up the first day of his official campaign in Daejeon, a hub for scientific research, where he highlighted science and technology.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News, Daejeon."