[Politics, That Day...] The Political Story of 'Heuksujeo' Lee Jae-myung, Whose Only Education Was Elementary School Graduation

Seongnam Industrial Complex Worker Lee Jae-myung, From Lawyer to Politician... Supreme Court Remand, Rising as Dark Horse in 2022 Presidential Election

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Politician Lee Jae-myung is a figure with many stories. Even in the political arena, where individuals with stories are favored, he is one of the few who carries a life drama. Born in 1964 and aged 55, he lived a life different from his peers.

Born in Andong, Gyeongbuk, he could not continue his studies after graduating from elementary school due to his family's extreme poverty. Instead of entering middle school, he started working as a laborer at the Sangdaewon Industrial Complex in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. While other friends were receiving parental love and nurturing dreams and hopes during their teenage years, earning money was his job.

Living in a ‘rough’ workplace at a young age was not an easy life. He experienced verbal abuse from senior factory workers as a daily routine. Not becoming an easy target was the way to survive there. Politician Lee Jae-myung’s ‘fighting cock temperament’ may be related to his past experiences of having to live in a poor neighborhood and a harsh workplace.

Lee Jae-myung’s life changed after discovering his talent for studying. After passing the qualification exam, he entered Chung-Ang University as a scholarship student in the Department of Law and passed the 28th Judicial Examination in 1986, embarking on a career as a lawyer.

Supporters of Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung are celebrating on the 16th in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after hearing the appellate court ruling. Governor Lee was able to retain his position due to the Supreme Court's decision to remand the case related to the forced hospitalization of his elder brother on that day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Primarily living as a human rights lawyer and civic activist in the Seongnam area, politician Lee Jae-myung challenged the mayoral election of Seongnam as the Open Democratic Party candidate in the 4th nationwide local elections in 2006. The result was defeat. The wall of real politics was thick.

He only garnered 23.75% of the vote, falling far from the winning zone. In the 18th general election in 2008, he challenged Bundang Gap, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, a conservative stronghold, but lost by a considerable margin.

‘Dirt spoon politician’ Lee Jae-myung seized an opportunity in the 5th nationwide local elections held on June 2, 2010. The election results were unexpected. The judgment against President Lee Myung-bak was confirmed to be beyond expectations, and candidates from the Grand National Party tasted defeat in several constituencies.

The Seongnam mayoral election, which politician Lee Jae-myung contested, was no exception. Lee Jae-myung ran as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy candidate for Seongnam mayor and won a landslide victory with 55.05% of the vote. His competitor, Saenuri Party candidate Shin Young-soo, received 44.04% of the vote.

The Supreme Court's final ruling by the full bench on the charge of false public announcement regarding the 'forced hospitalization of elder brother' involving Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, will be delivered on the 16th. On that day, a supporter of Governor Lee Jae-myung placed a hand sign in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

At that time, candidate Lee Jae-myung confirmed his competitiveness in all regions, including Seongnam Sujeong-gu with 56.36%, Jungwon-gu with 56.66%, and Bundang-gu with 53.80%. Riding the wave of the MB judgment movement in the local elections, many politicians recorded victories. Several figures also nurtured their dreams of becoming political leaders. However, ten years later, it is hard to find a figure whose status has risen as vertically as politician Lee Jae-myung.

Lee Jae-myung’s political life was not smooth either. Various incidents, including controversies surrounding actress Kim Bu-seon and disputes with his elder brother and sister-in-law, held him back. Each time controversy arose, he faced it head-on and paved his way.

He demonstrated his true value through work while serving as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province. He is a representative figure who grew his political stature through his work. This is said to be on a different level from other politicians who rose to the ‘crown prince’ position based on support from organizations, regions, or specific factions.

July 16 was a turning point when politician Lee Jae-myung’s fate changed drastically. If the Supreme Court had upheld the original ruling, he might have had to step down from the governor position of Gyeonggi Province. The Supreme Court overturned and remanded the appeal trial of politician Lee Jae-myung, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act, with a verdict of not guilty.

On the afternoon of the 16th, at the Supreme Court Grand Courtroom in Seocho-gu, Seoul, a sentencing trial for Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who is accused of abuse of authority and violation of the Public Official Election Act, is being held under the presiding of Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo. / Photo by Joint Press Corps

This is a result that could change the landscape of the 2022 presidential election. Lee Nak-yeon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former Prime Minister, is gaining strength based on the momentum of being the frontrunner, but the emergence of a completely different political figure, politician Lee Jae-myung, has made it impossible to relax.

After the Supreme Court ruling, Lee Nak-yeon said, “Congratulations to Governor Lee Jae-myung and the people of Gyeonggi Province. I welcome the ruling,” adding, “Governor Lee has quietly worked for the people of Gyeonggi Province while bearing many burdens and pains. I expect the Gyeonggi provincial government to gain more momentum going forward.” This is a message welcoming the Supreme Court ruling and implying a fair competition.

Politician Lee Nak-yeon’s solo run has also faced a turning point. From the ruling party’s perspective, the internal primary race, which had been unfolding blandly, is changing, which is not a bad situation.

The appearance of political leaders with different ‘flavors’ competing for the next presidential election within the ruling party is a guarantee of excitement for the primary election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.