Lee Jae-myung solidifies lead in ruling party's regional primaries
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the first-runner of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)'s presidential primary, fist bumps his supporters during a regional primary event for North Jeolla Province held at a gym in Wanju County of the province, Sunday. Governor Lee won by a landslide in the primary in North Jeolla Province with 54.55 percent support, garnering 22,276 votes. Yonhap
Frontrunner Lee faces crisis over controversial development project
By Jung Da-min
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung has solidified his lead in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) regional primaries after clinching a landslide victory in the North Jeolla Province poll, Sunday, despite a controversial land development scandal surrounding him.
The win was also a bounce back from his first loss of the primaries to former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, Saturday.
In the latest primary, Governor Lee earned support of 54.55 percent with 22,276 votes, compared to the former party leader's 38.48 percent with 15,715 votes.
In the Saturday primary, Lee Nak-yon eked out a win with 33,848 votes out of 71,835, accounting for 47.12 percent, against the Gyeonggi governor's 33,726 votes, or 46.95 percent.
As of Sunday, the governor has accumulated 53.01 percent or 341,858 of the votes cast in the six regional primaries, as well as a separate round of polling open to the general public and DPK members, while Lee Nak-yon has 34.48 percent or 222,353 votes. The six regions are Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province; Sejeong, North Chungcheong Province; Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province; Gangwon Province; Gwangju, South Jelloa Province; and North Jeolla Province.
Although the Gyeonggi governor, who came in third in the 2017 party primary behind President Moon Jae-in and former South Chungcheong Province Gov. Ahn Hee-jung, has established himself as the DPK's flag bearer for the presidential election in March 2022, the 56-year-old is facing a crisis in his bid due to a growing controversy surrounding a highly lucrative land development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province that began in 2015, when he was serving as the city's mayor.
Former ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Nak-yon, right, shakes hands with Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Lee Jae-myung, after winning the party's regional primary event in Gwangju and South Jelloa Province held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, Saturday. This was the first win for the former DPK head in the regional primaries, as the governor has won all five previous polls. Yonhap
In early September, accusations surfaced in media reports that Lee gave business favors to certain companies for the development project in the city's Daejang District. The prosecution opened a criminal investigation into the case last week, after Lee's camp filed a complaint against some members of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), claiming they had violated the Public Official Election Act by “spreading false information” about him in a negative campaign.
The accusations are focused on any possible personal connection between the governor and people involved in the development project, in which a handful of companies, including Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, with a combined capital of 350 million won ($296,600), reaped substantial gains of more than 400 billion won. Hwacheon Daeyu, a privately-held firm, is at the center of the controversy, as it has been paid a total of 57.7 billion won over the course of three years, 1,154 times its investment of 50 million won. The small firm's executives are comprised of people from the media, political and legal circles.