LEE UNVEILS SME SUPPORT PLAN

[Anchor Lead]

Democratic Party presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung has unveiled his policies for nurturing SMEs and venture firms. He stressed coexistence between large conglomerates and small firms, noting the local economy can only thrive when SMEs are doing well.

[Pkg]

DP presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung visited an SME complex to announce his campaign pledges. He started off by saying Korea's industrial environment lacks fairness.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Presidential Candidate) : "I can't say our industrial environment is fair enough. Except for a small fraction of conglomerates and even smaller number of SMEs, most SMEs are struggling to survive."

Lee stressed coexistence between large conglomerates and SMEs. He pledged to invest 10 trillion won in SMEs and venture firms, and provide financial support for digital transformation, starting a business, and taking another chance after a business failure. One of his administration's state projects will be helping SMEs have proper prices for their products. He promised to personally make sure that a law permitting SMEs to engage in joint action is passed by the National Assembly in a bid to strengthen their negotiating power. The DP presidential candidate also attended an exhibition marking the third anniversary of late Kim Yong-kyun's passing in an industrial accident. His mother asked Lee to enact a law on the grave punishment for serious accidents.

[Soundbite] Kim Mi-sook(Late Kim Yong-kyun's mother) : "Workers are not to blame. They must not die just because they work in unsafe environments or make mistakes."

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Presidential Candidate) : "I agree. People must not die while working to make a living."

After Lee Yong-ho, whose election district is the Jeolla region, decided to join the main opposition People Power Party, the DP pushed back by scouting former Bareun Mirae Party members Kim Kwan-young and Chae Yi-bae. On Thursday, Lee Jae-myung attended a meeting of the party innovation committee to call on members to do away with their privileges and implement political reform, and announced members of the Young Generation Committee.