Ruling party candidate Lee to focus on presidential campaign
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung holds a press conference to announce his resignation from the Gyeonggi Governor post, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon, Monday. Joint Press Corps
By Jung Da-min
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has stepped down from his post as Gyeonggi Province governor to focus full-time in the race for the presidential election slated for March.
Lee is expected to speed up his campaigning as it has already taken 15 days for him to quit his post after winning the party's primary, due to a National Assembly audit into the provincial government and a delayed meeting with his main rival within the party after the win.
Holding a press conference at Gyeonggi Provincial Office in Suwon to announce his resignation, Lee said he has focused on policies to realize the value of fairness as governor, especially through measures involving the economy and welfare such as expanding the use of a provincial currency and the provision of a basic allowance for young residents.
“For the past three years, I have strived to make Gyeonggi Province a region where everyone enjoys equal opportunities and is guaranteed a fair share for their efforts … where everyone can enjoy the minimum welfare,” Lee said. “As I made Gyeonggi the envy of people in other parts of the country, I will make the Republic of Korea the envy of all countries around the world.”
The 56-year-old served as governor for over three years since 2018. He had to resign according to the Public Official Election Act which bans a public official from running for president.
Lee will meet Tuesday with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae as the ruling party’s presidential candidate, presidential spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said during a press briefing, Monday. Lee is also expected to register as a preliminary candidate for the 20th presidential election at the National Election Commission, Tuesday, before meeting with President Moon.
Lee's popularity as a presidential contender had been on the rise as he won the DPK's regional primaries in September and early October by a landslide. But his popularity has been waning in recent weeks over a snowballing land development scandal in which he is alleged to have been involved.
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, right, and former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon grasp each other's hands ahead of their meeting at a cafe in Seoul's Jongno District, Sunday. Lee Nak-yon has accepted Lee Jae-myung's call to become a standing advisor for the latter's election camp. Joint Press Corps
Lee took the bull by the horns by attending a National Assembly audit of Gyeonggi Province as the governor, but failed to find a breakthrough, while members of the DPK and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) fiercely attacked each other in partisan brawls without substantial results or clarification of related facts. The lucrative land development scandal involves not only members of the ruling bloc, but also the opposition.
Adding to Lee's challenges were conflicts with former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon and his election camp members. After losing the primary two weeks ago, the runner-up Lee Nak-yon had appealed to the party for a recount of the primary, claiming the results could be different when considering votes garnered by two former contenders who dropped out of the primary race last month.
The DPK leadership rejected Lee Nak-yon's appeal and he had remained out of the public eye for two weeks after the primary ended. He ultimately joined Lee Jae-myung's camp, Sunday, by accepting the latter's request to serve as a standing adviser of the candidate's campaign office.