The snap presidential election has concluded in South Korea, and the new president has begun their term of office. The will of the people, as expressed through the ballot boxes, resulted in the election of President Lee Jae-myung, who has called for the elimination of the 'insurrection forces' and 'great social reform'. However, social reform does not end with the election of a new president. They involve addressing wrongdoings and healing the pain and wounds inflicted on marginalised groups, such as irregular power workers who have died as a result of dangerous occupational health and safety practices, and workers staging sky protests.

Therefore, the presidential election marks the beginning rather than the completion of great social reform. We hope that the Lee Jae-myung administration will embrace the people’s aspirations and swiftly make progress towards 'strengthening quality public services to create equal opportunities', 'expanding labour rights to create discrimination-free workplaces' and 'greater democracy where the people are master'.

Kwon Young-guk, the Democratic Labour Party candidate, received 344,150 votes. This is a new beginning for workers’ progressive politics. Overcoming the numerous barriers of the two-party political system, the ‘wasted vote’ mentality that plagues voters, and the entrenched regionally divided political landscape was a significant achievement.

The election campaign was a cycle of both possibility and desperation. Many workers and ordinary citizens who have experienced discrimination and marginalisation, as well as minorities in our society, rediscovered and embraced progressive politics. The people and issues that workers' politics must represent have once again become apparent. The united front of progressive politics has demonstrated its ability to foster change and unity in workplaces, winning over workers on the shop floor and thawing their hearts.

Workers' progressive politics are beginning again, carrying the 'huge minority' of 0.98 per cent in their hearts. To fully realise the great social reform we called for during the presidential election, it is crucial that we continue to represent the voices of all those we encountered on the streets.

Although the regime has changed, the world has not. We are the driving force behind significant great social reform. The KPTU will lead the way by presenting concrete alternatives to achieve this. Sometimes this will require unwavering struggle and resistance, while at other times it will require dialogue and cooperation.