Rep. Lee Jae-myung, center, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a debate on a special chips act at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is swinging to the right in what appears to be a move to court moderates as a potential snap election nears.

He recently stressed the importance of private sector-led economic growth at a New Year press conference, adding that "pragmatism is key to growth." This deviates from his socioeconomic vision of introducing a universal basic income to ease economic disparities.

Experts believe Lee's pivot on policies related to business and the economy is aimed at appealing to moderate voters, as a snap election is possible if the Constitutional Court upholds the National Assembly's motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

"Lee believes that pragmatism and a pro-business stance will improve his approval ratings and help him maintain the lead as the top presidential contender. As an early presidential election appears likely, Lee will continue making lofty promises to woo moderate voters. But I doubt he would keep many of his promises after the election," political commentator Park Sang-byeong said.

"The effect of moving away from his traditional stance is also questionable because his support base could turn their backs on him, raising doubts about his political identity."

Lee led a debate, Monday, over a proposed legislation on chips, advocating for more flexible working time arrangements — differing from the DPK's and his own earlier stance opposing it.

The bill, proposed by the ruling People Power Party (PPP), mandates the government to give chipmakers subsidies and an exemption from a national cap on working hours to tackle potential risks from U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of steep tariffs on major trading partners, which could affect Korea's chipmakers.

At issue was whether Lee will support the bill, which seeks to waive the labor law that limits the workweek to a maximum of 52 hours.

"I'm not saying that we should increase the limits on total working hours, but we could discuss allowing some employees to work longer hours during the stage of research and development," Lee said.

He has called on the government to draft a supplementary budget that includes funding for AI development to boost sluggish domestic demand.

A day earlier, the DPK appointed former lawmaker Hong Sung-kook, who is not considered to be a member of Lee's core supporters, as a new Supreme Council member, replacing Rep. Ju Chul-hyun. Rep. Kim Yun-duk, secretary general of the DPK, stated that the finance expert's appointment is the latest indication that overcoming the economic crisis is the party's top priority.

Rep. Kwon Young-se, right, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, speaks with the party's floor leader Kweon Seong-dong during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The PPP and labor groups criticized Lee's sudden change in policy direction.

"Lee is suddenly running campaigns to appeal to right-leaning voters by promoting growth," said Rep. Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the PPP. "The policy pledges announced by the DPK just weeks ago included anti-business bills, but Lee suddenly became ‘pro-business.'"

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the PPP, also questioned Lee's intentions.

"The DPK has opposed the special chips act. It is doubtful whether Lee truly believes in the importance of artificial intelligence and semiconductors, but if he is seriously worried about the chip industry, he should agree on passing the related bill," Kweon said.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and Federation of Korean Trade Unions issued a joint statement urging Lee to prioritize workers' rights.

"If Lee abandons his past promises to protect workers and pursue pro-business and anti-labor policies for the sake of political gains, then he is just the same as the Yoon administration," they said in a statement.

"As the main opposition leader, Lee should not waste his time on anti-labor and anti-human rights discussions, such as lifting the 52-hour workweek limit. He should eradicate low wages and long working hours in our society and ensure the work-life balance and safety of our workers."