CANDIDATES STUMP NATION

[Anchor Lead]

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has been campaigning in the Yeongnam region in southeast Korea for two straight days. After the opposition parties’ attempt to unify their candidates fell through, Lee has been stressing his plan to reform politics and shape an integrated government as if he is trying to court Ahn Cheol-soo. The Justice Party’s presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung was in Jeju yesterday and in Gangwon-do Province today.

[Pkg]

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's Monday schedule includes visiting Pohang, Gyeongju, Daegu, Gumi and Andong in the southeastern region. Those cities traditionally favor the conservative parties, but given that Lee’s hometown is Andong, he plans to boost approval ratings as much as possible. On Sunday, when visiting Changwon in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, he pledged to further develop the southern region.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "Changwon is going to be the center of a new southern capital region, of a new city state like Singapore! Right?"

Lee also vowed to reform politics and shape an integrated government everywhere, indirectly criticizing the opposition parties’ failure to present a unified candidate.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "Don’t try to unify with someone or force others to give up at every election. Why can’t we have the two-round system like other countries? Let’s have runoff voting this time."

The DP nominee apparently had Ahn Cheol-soo in mind and the ruling party backed him up by adopting his political reform idea as a party position. Justice Party presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung is courting voters in Gangneung and Chucheon in Gangwon-do Province on Monday. On Sunday, she attended a one-year memorial service for the late staff sergeant Byun Huisu, a serviceman who was forcibly discharged after undergoing a sex-change operation.

[Soundbite] Sim Sang-jung(Justice Party Pres. Candidate) : "No presidential candidate remembers the late Staff Sergeant Byun Hui-su. I’m the only one. That’s why I can’t keep quiet any longer and have to speak out more loudly."

To distinguish herself as a progressive party candidate, Sim also said an anti-discrimination law must be legislated.