Anchor: The official 22-day campaign period for the June 3 presidential election began Monday. Until 12 a.m. on Election Day, candidates can put up posters and banners, send out promotional leaflets, and distribute name cards.
Bae Joo-yon wraps up the first day of the race. 

Report: On the first day of the campaign period for the June 3 election, Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung appeared at Cheonggye Plaza in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul and stressed that he is ready to take charge and lead the country.

Lee said this presidential election is not a contest between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, but rather a battle against the entrenched elite forces that devastated the country with an insurrection, destroying the constitutional order along with people’s lives. 

The former Democratic Party leader said there is no time to be trapped in the past or divided by ideology, doctrine or factions, adding that from now on, there are no liberal or conservative issues but only issues for South Korea. 

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo kicked off his official campaign at Garak Market in southern Seoul and vowed to become a president for the markets, the public good and the economy, and a president who leads the country to prosperity.
 
Kim said he picked the market as his first campaign stop because markets are the core of the economy, adding that he was seeking inspiration on how to turn around the current economic stagnation crisis.

Commenting on the party’s failed bid to replace him with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as its presidential candidate, and the conflicts surrounding that move, Kim said it was not fighting for the sake of fighting but rather a foundation for stronger unity, greater solidarity and a step forward for the party.

Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate for the minor New Reform Party, courted voters at a national industrial complex in the southwestern city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

He said if he is elected, his government will reshape the country’s politics, bringing together people with different visions for the future and fostering truly productive discussions.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.