Lee Hae-chan Criticizes Lee Jae-myung for Advocating 'No Nomination in By-Elections'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's remarks on 'no nomination for by-elections.'

According to the Democratic Party on the 21st, Lee said at a high-level strategy meeting the day before regarding nominations for by-elections, "(The nomination issue) is not something the current leadership should handle. It is a matter for the next leadership to discuss."

He also reportedly said, "The mayoral primary should be held around February next year, and by the end of the year, we should decide whether to field candidates or not. If we talk about it now, we will just keep getting hit."

Lee's remarks are interpreted as targeting Governor Lee Jae-myung, who advocated for 'no nomination' in the by-elections. Earlier, Governor Lee said about the nomination issue for by-elections, "Trust is the most important thing for politicians," and "We should not nominate candidates for the Seoul and Busan mayoral elections." He added, "Even merchants endure losses to maintain trust," and "(If candidates are fielded, the public will think) 'They are lying again.'"

Not only Lee Hae-chan but also many figures within the party criticized Governor Lee's remarks. Democratic Party lawmaker and party leadership contender Lee Nak-yeon appeared on MBC Radio that day and said, "The decision on nominations will probably be made around the end of the year, so why is it necessary to pull it forward by several months and fight in advance?" He pointed out, "There is still plenty of time until next year's by-elections, and there are many things to do before then, so is it wise to argue within the party now?"

Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae also criticized Governor Lee's remarks the day before, saying, "The 'looking cool alone' movement is not appropriate now." He said, "While the words are not entirely incomprehensible on the surface, we must first embrace the pain of the party and its members who are in a difficult situation," and "Comrades win together and lose together, and when it rains, they share the rain?that is the psychological solidarity."

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