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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, gives thumbs-ups to supporters and members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), after winning the Seoul regional primary held at the Olympic Park in the capital's Songpa District, Sunday, to become the ruling party's final presidential candidate. Joint Press Corps |
Governor urged to clarify land development controversy to expand support base
By Jung Da-min
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has become the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) presidential candidate after winning the 11th and final regional primary in the country's capital, Sunday.
In the Seoul primary, the 56-year-old won 45,737 votes of the total 88,893 cast, or 51.45 percent, followed by former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon with 32,445 votes, or 36.5 percent, to represent the ruling party in the presidential election, scheduled for March 9, 2022. The main opposition People Power Party is now finalizing its candidate to face off against the governor.
Lee Jae-myung accumulated 719,905, or 50.29 percent, of all the votes cast in the eleven regional primaries, as well as three separate rounds of polling open to the general public and DPK members, while Lee Nak-yon garnered 560,392, or 39.14 percent.
The other two contenders, former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and two-term lawmaker Rep. Park Yong-jin, finished the race ranking third and fourth, respectively, with support of 9.01 percent and 1.55 percent.
In the third and last voting by the general public and party members, the results of which were also announced Sunday, Lee Nak-yon won over Lee Jae-myung by a large margin ― 155,220 to 70,441 ― but this was not enough for the former prime minister to turn the tables.
The Gyeonggi governor swept all of the regional primaries, except one in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province late last month, and the last vote by the general public and DPK members.
On Saturday, in the governor's political "home ground" of Gyeonggi Province, Lee Jae-myung won 56,820 votes of the total 95,841 cast, or 59.29 percent, while Lee Nak-yon garnered 29,248 votes to rank second with support of 30.52 percent.
After being elected as the presidential candidate of the ruling party, Lee vowed to carry out stern reform policies in the country's real estate sector, if he wins the election slated for March 2022. "Once elected as president, I will eliminate the country's dishonor of being a republic of unearned revenue," Lee said. The governor said the next presidential election is a battle against the corrupt privileged class.
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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) presidential primaries, gives a thumbs-up to his supporters during the Seoul regional primary held at the Olympic Park in the capital's Songpa District, Sunday. He was later nominated as the presidential candidate of the ruling party, winning support of 51.45 percent in the final primary. Joint Press Corps |
Lee's overwhelming win showed that he has a solid support base despite a controversial land development scandal involving him.
However, political watchers said the growing controversy surrounding the highly lucrative land development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province that began in 2015 when he was serving as the city's mayor could be the biggest challenge for the governor in his second bid for the presidency.
The governor came in third in the 2017 party primary behind President Moon Jae-in and former South Chungcheong Province Governor Ahn Hee-jung, but has established himself as the DPK's flag bearer for the March 2022 election.
"Lee Jae-myung has to take decisive action regarding the growing controversy over the land development project to win the next presidential election. He has been saying that he was not involved in any illegal activity but he still needs to persuade members of the public. His task as the ruling party's presidential candidate is to expand his support base by appealing to centrists," said Cha Jae-won, a professor at the Catholic University of Pusan.
"In my opinion, the governor could win people's support if he quickly requests a special prosecutor to look into the case as the candidate of the ruling party."
Cha also said that Lee Jae-myung should scout Lee Nak-yon as a key member of his election camp, to unify members and supporters of the ruling party. The two heavyweights often clashed during the primaries, with the conflict deepening after members of Lee Nak-yon's camp attacked the governor over the land development scandal, telling voters that Lee Nak-yon was a more suitable candidate.
After losing the primary, the Lee Nak-yon camp said that it will officially appeal for a recount, claiming the results could be different when considering votes garnered by former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and two-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Du-kwan who dropped out of the ruling party's primary race last month.
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