By Kim Jung-yoon
Lawmaker-elect Lee Hae-chan claimed victory in Busan in the second round of the main opposition Democratic United Party’s leadership race, Monday. Lee is the leader of a faction loyal to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Lee garnered 353 votes from 615 DUP members who each cast two votes in the primary held in the port city, a traditional stronghold for Roh loyalists.
Another lawmaker-elect Kim Han-gil who caught the public off guard by defeating Lee in the first primary in Ulsan came second with 204 votes, followed by Rep. Woo Sang-ho with 160.
Lee confirmed his position as a frontrunner in the regional election, with a combined 401 votes from the two elections, ahead of Kim who has 307.
Lee’s come-from-behind victory was despite a backlash by some DUP lawmakers over an alleged secretive power-sharing alliance with the newly elected floor leader Park Jie-won.
The frontrunner Lee’s win in Busan also boosted support for Moon Jae-in, the DUP presidential hopeful from the Roh faction. Moon also backed the Lee and Park coalition during the election of the party’s floor leader.
The DUP has been elated as the two primaries for the election of the party leadership have drawn public attention. Park said, “With the start of the Ulsan primary, the party began to see a big hit.”
The opposition party has been struggling to cope with the setback of the humiliating defeat in the April National Assembly elections. But with the seemingly successful hosting of regional votes in Ulsan and Busan, the party is poised to pick up steam in the lead up to the presidential election on Dec. 19.
In the previous round in Ulsan race, underdog lawmaker-elect Kim Han-gil unexpectedly won, triumphing over Lee despite early expectations that the head of the Roh faction would take pole position.
Kim garnered 103 votes, while Choo Mi-ae and Woo Sang-ho came in second and third respectively. Lee, who was regarded as the most promising candidate took fourth place.
The result came as a surprise, as Ulsan is another stronghold for supporters of the late Roh.
The party’s primaries will continue in Gwangju, Daegu, Daejeon, Jeju, Sejong City, North Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province and Gangwon Province. Based on the voting outcome, the DUP will pick its new leadership on June 9 in Seoul.