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| Lee Jae-myung, left, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, holds hands with the party's former chief and runner-up in its primary, Lee Nak-yon, during a meeting with party members in Gwangju, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is receiving ardent support from voters who are suffering hair loss, thanks to his campaign pledge to expand national health insurance coverage to include hair regrowth treatments.
According to an online community platform for people with thinning hair, Tuesday, a number of posts have been uploaded to express their support for the DPK candidate.
"Lee Jae-myung is a Propecia-like figure," an online user wrote on dcinside, referring to the popular medication for people with thinning hair. Another wrote, "I will 'implant' Lee in Cheong Wa Dae."
A third online user said, "Despite paying health insurance premiums for more than 20 years, I have rarely seen the doctor (for hair loss), which I think is unfair. However, now I think I will be able to benefit from the years-long payments. The pledge is impressive."
The pledge was previously floated by the DPK's youth election committee and Lee proposed adding it to his "small satisfaction" pledges.
The ruling party is set to take advantage of the unexpected responses from voters.
"In order to make it a perfect and in-depth pledge, we need voters' help. Please share your complaints and advice regarding hair loss treatments to reflect them in the policy," the DPK said.
Lee Dong-hak, a member of the DPK's Supreme Council, said, "I really appreciate that a large number of people responded positively to the proposal. As many people are interested in the plan, the party intends to take a closer look at it as part of drafting its policy."
He added the party will hold a related press conference.
The DPK's election committee plans to announce the final policy promise after fully reviewing the financial stability of the National Health Insurance Service and copay by the insured.
"Hair loss occurs in the young as well as the elderly. While young people also pay health insurance premiums, they have benefited less from it. If hair loss treatment is included in the health insurance, young people will see the benefits," an official of the election committee said.
