Jeju governor announces presidential bid

Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong speaks at a meeting of mayors and governors who are members of the main opposition People Power Party, at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 25. / Yonhap

By Park Han-sol

Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong has announced his bid to run in the 2022 presidential election, becoming the first potential contender to make his ambition public.

In an interview with a local broadcaster, Sunday, Won, a member of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said he was making relevant preparations for the party's primaries and would announce more concrete campaign pledge plans before the end of next month.

Won has been named as one of the potential presidential contenders from the main opposition party, which has lacked influential figures capable of making an impression in public opinion surveys. Politicians considered as possible candidates from the opposition bloc are seeing support of between 1 percent and 4 percent, with Won scoring 1 percent in the latest survey jointly released by four polling agencies, Sunday.

He named Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo as promising contenders within the opposition, citing their placement in public opinion polls. Ahn's support in the latest survey was 4 percent, while Yoon's has not been included at his own request.

Speaking of his chances against the two prospective presidential candidates of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) ― party Chairman Lee Nak-yon and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung ― Won said, “Anyone who claims the President Moon Jae-in administration is doing a great job and aims to follow that path will be easy to beat, while the person who determines the current administration is wrong and expresses plans to renew everything will be difficult to outdo.”

Both of the DPK contenders gained support rates of around 22 percent, according to Sunday's survey.

Won also urged the interim head of the PPP Kim Chong-in to provide a proper platform for potential candidates from the opposition bloc.

In regards to the possibility of a merger between the two opposition parties, PPP and the People's Party, he affirmed, “If the two share the same goal, they must strive toward it together.”