Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, delivers a speech at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), pitched political reforms, Monday, in an effort to appeal to the political center, rather than just focusing on strengthening his existing voter base.

In a parliamentary speech, Lee proposed a legislative recall system that allows voters to remove an elected lawmaker from office by voting. Lee pledged to introduce the system when he merged campaigns with Kim Dong-yeon, the presidential nominee of the New Wave Party in the 2022 presidential election and now governor of Gyeonggi Province.

"Politics may seem to be done by politicians, but in the end, it is done by the people. As the first step to leave the door to a democratic republic wide open, we will introduce the legislative recall system," Lee said. "Just as we achieved a candlelit revolution in 2016, the DPK will complete another revolution of light," he added, referring to peaceful protests held nationwide that ultimately led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye the following year.

Earlier this year, Lee emphasized the importance of private sector-led economic growth, aiming to appeal to moderates as a potential snap election approaches. This marked a shift from his previous socioeconomic vision of introducing a universal basic income to address economic disparities.

In his latest speech, he argued that productivity improvement through artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology should result in shorter working hours.

"Korea has the fifth-longest working hours in the OECD. Koreans worked 1,901 hours a year per employee in 2023, 149 hours more than the OECD average. To become a leading innovator in a high-tech society, we must reduce working hours and implement a 4.5-day workweek and then a four-day workweek," Lee said.

"Even if some industries need more flexibility in the 52-hour workweek system due to special needs, this should not be used as a means of extending total working hours or avoiding labor costs."

The opposition leader also said society should discuss raising the retirement age to better prepare for the era of artificial intelligence (AI), shorter working hours, the low birthrate and shrinking working-age population.

Lee also outlined strategic plans for key industries, emphasizing AI, biotechnology, cultural content, defense and energy as priority sectors for growth and innovation.

"We need to establish an AI bootcamp with comprehensive training programs to develop up to 100,000 AI developers. Additionally, we must reduce the country's reliance on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and increase our use of renewable energy," he said.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, shakes hands with DPK lawmakers after delivering a parliamentary speech at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday.

He also called for a supplementary budget of at least 30 trillion won ($20 billion) to revive the nation's economy, which has been shaken by the political turmoil triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3.

"I propose a supplementary budget of at least 30 trillion won to support people's livelihoods and help the economy recover," he said.

With U.S. President Donald Trump signaling his interest in reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Lee called for efforts to resume talks with Pyongyang.

"We should reinforce our military readiness and strengthen our capabilities to defend against North Korea's nuclear threats, while also keeping communication channels open and continuing efforts to resume dialogue," Lee said.

"As President Trump has expressed his willingness to hold a summit with North Korea, our government should urge Pyongyang to return to dialogue and ensure that we are not sidelined in U.S.-North Korea negotiations."

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) slammed Lee's speech, calling his pledges a "blatant scam."

"Lee's actions must match his words. His economic policy reminded me of what our party is advocating. As for the legislative recall system, it is something that the ruling and opposition parties should discuss together," said Rep. Kim Dai-sik, spokesperson of the PPP.