Opposition leader Lee to attend by-election campaign after release from hospital

Lee Jae-myung (third from right), leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, attends a parliamentary session held at the National Assembly in Seoul, Oct. 6. Yonhap

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will be released from a Seoul hospital Monday and attend a by-election campaign for his party's candidate in a key district in Seoul, his party said.

Rep. Lee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has received treatment to recuperate from a 24-day hunger strike to protest against President Yoon Suk Yeol's policies.

The DPK said Lee will leave Green Hospital in northern Seoul later in the day and attend a by-election campaign by Jin Kyo-hoon, a DPK candidate for Gangseo Ward office chief in western Seoul, with three days left before the election.

Although the election picks one of Seoul's 25 ward chiefs, it is widely seen as a key litmus test of voter sentiment ahead of the parliamentary elections slated for April next year.

The by-election takes place after former chief Kim Tae-woo was removed from the post in May due to a suspended prison sentence for leaking secrets he gained while working for a special inspection team under former President Moon Jae-in.

Although the seat was vacated due to Kim's conviction, the ruling People Power Party has named him as its candidate after his right to run in the election was reinstated following a special presidential pardon in August.

The turnout of the two-day advance voting between Friday and Saturday stood at 22.64 percent, the highest ever in Korea's by-election history. (Yonhap)