CANDIDATES STRESS CAMPAIGN PLEDGES

[Anchor Lead]

Presidential candidates continue to present their campaign pledges to overcome their shortcomings despite the confusions raging in their respective parties. Ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung courted young voters in their 20s and 30s while People Power Party candidate targeted the 40-to-49 population with the highest proportion of double-income families.

[Pkg]

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung dressed in hip clothing met with famous dancers and presented the young population with his campaign pledge of making Korea the second greatest country in cultural contents. He promised artists and performers an annual basic income of one million won.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "I will shape a culturally powerful Korea that Kim Gu dreamed of. I promise those in the cultural industries to allocate 2.5% of the budget in arts and culture and make Korea the second greatest country in cultural contents."

In a conversation with Jim Rogers, an influential investor with interests in North Korea, Lee said that he would make it possible for large-scale investments to be made in the Korean Peninsula. But in a separate statement, he denounced North Korea for examining the resumption of nuclear tests and asked the South Korean government to take firm counteractions. During this income tax return season, the two candidates both pledged to expand income deductions for those workers with clearly taxable earned income sources. People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol added that the state will assume the responsibility of child-rearing for working couples. He promised to provide three free meals a day for children in childcare centers and kindergartens. He said he would adjust the existing budget to come up with 1.5 trillion won to fund this free meal program.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "Children may not eat proper breakfast when their parents go to work. I’ve been thinking about providing breakfast and dinner to such children."

Yoon’s pledges to pet owners included an introduction of standardized payment system for medical service fees at the vet and subsequent income deduction. Lee Jae-myung started his bus campaign in Seoul today and announced his real estate pledges. Meanwhile, Yoon Suk-yeol visited the Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Hall in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do Province to kick-start his two-day campaigning in the Chungcheong region.