Over the next three days,... the chairs of South Korea's three main parties will be giving speeches on their agendas and viewpoints at the National Assembly.<br />First up was Lee Hae-chan, the chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.<br />For more details, we have our political correspondent Kim Min-ji on the line.<br />Minji,.. tell us more about what Lee said this morning...<br /><br /> Ji-yoon.<br />The speeches by the political leaders is one of the itineraries for the 100-day regular session -- and like you said, taking the podium today was Lee Hae-chan -- the newly elected chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.<br /> A large chunk of his speech was focused on the economy -- with Lee stressing the importance of reviving the sluggish economy and finding new growth engines.<br />He said the government's drive for income-led growth and innovative growth will change the country's economic paradigm and it will pave the way for inclusive growth... and for the country's gross national income to top 40-thousand U.S. dollars.<br /> The ruling party chair also highlighted the need for next year's record budget, of 420 billion dollars -- in order to improve the quality of people's lives,... extend a helping hand to the socially vulnerable and low-income households,... and to boost job growth. <br /> Lee also said his party will be at the forefront to rid the country of corruption and unfair practices to ensure equal opportunities for all.<br /><br /> And I heard he used another significant portion of his speech to highlight North Korea issues.<br /><br /> Yes, you're right.<br />The ruling party chair brought up the need to ratify the joint summit declaration reached between the two Koreas in April.<br /> He said this is in order to set the groundwork for the implementation of the agreement,... such as North Korea's full denuclearization and inter-Korean exchanges.. <br />Lee said his party will also lead efforts to re-open the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex -- that's been closed since 2016 -- for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula.<br /> Lee went on to say that cooperation between all parties is a must,... suggesting regular talks between the leaders of the rival parties.<br />He said he's willing to talk at any time and have a flexible attitude if it's for the good of the people.<br />Back to you, Ji-yoon.<br />
