Economic pledges dominate S. Korea's presidential campaign trail: "AI" and "trade" as keywords

Economy amid the growing presence of artificial intelligence is a key focus of the presidential contenders as they address voters with pledges to promote national interests.

Our correspondent Moon Hye-ryeon reports.

One theme is impossible to miss in the candidates' pledges as the country gears up for a pivotal presidential election: the economy.

Both leading candidates — Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo — have packed their campaigns with economic and business-oriented policies, reflecting rising voter anxiety over Korea's stunted growth trajectory and external uncertainties.

This year, there is an unprecedented emphasis on artificial intelligence — with Lee Jae-myung listing it as his top pledge, while Kim Moon-soo places the initiative second.

"We need to take a look at what role our national community should play in preparing for an AI-driven society."

"For the initial takeoff, we need to pour in concentrated funding and scout top talent from around the world."

Both propose mobilizing 100 trillion Korean won in investment — approximately 71 billion U.S. dollars — but their approaches differ.

Lee focuses on universal access through the "AI for All" project, which would offer free, advanced AI services — including a Korean version of ChatGPT — to all citizens.

In contrast, Kim aims to strengthen the entire AI ecosystem by supporting unicorn firms and training 200-thousand young AI professionals through expanded AI graduate programs and software-centric universities.

Although less prominent in the polls, Lee Jun-seok — the former People Power Party leader now running as a third-party candidate — addresses AI in his pledges to improve regulations and foster talent.

Another pressing issue in this election is trade, particularly as reciprocal tariff exemptions from the United States expire just a month after the elections.

Kim's top pledge is an immediate South Korea-U.S. summit and the launch of new tariff negotiations.

Lee takes a more cautious approach, saying that negotiations with Washington need to be taken at a slow pace.

While he acknowledges the need to respond pragmatically to shifts in the global order, he provides fewer details about trade or alliance-building.

Despite these differences, both candidates deliver the same message: the economy is the defining issue of this election.

Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News.