Lee Jae-myung: "Claims of No Nomination for Seoul and Busan Mayoral Elections Are Misinformation"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, claimed that the assertion of no nomination for the Seoul and Busan mayoral elections is a "clear false report."

On the 22nd, Lee posted a statement titled "Position on the Nomination for Seoul and Busan Mayoral Elections" on Facebook, saying, "There has been much controversy and false reports regarding my position on whether the Democratic Party will nominate candidates for the Seoul and Busan mayoral elections."

He continued, "As a public figure, when asked an unplanned question about my 'inner thoughts' during a live broadcast on this issue that has drawn the attention of the public and party members, there are three possible responses: evading the question, lying, or answering truthfully. I could not lie, and although evading is an important political skill, I thought it could also be considered deceiving the public, so I answered truthfully."

However, Lee expressed regret, saying, "It was unfortunate that only the remarks about ideals were taken out of my overall response about ideals and reality and reported in a way that differed from my actual intentions."

Furthermore, he drew a clear line, stating, "The decision on whether to nominate candidates is a matter for the party leadership to decide after gathering opinions from party members, and I am only one party member participating in the vote."

He especially emphasized, "The discussion about no nomination for the Seoul mayor presupposes a 'serious wrongdoing' by the Seoul mayor, and if there is no wrongdoing, there is no reason to take responsibility. Therefore, all discussions must be based on 'if it is true.' It is not true that I 'claimed' no nomination for the Seoul and Busan mayoral elections, as some media have reported."

Lee added, "I believe that the greatest virtue of a politician entrusted with power in a representative democracy and democratic republic is trust. Since national administration and central politics are no different, promises made to the people, especially those explicitly stated in party rules by the ruling party, must naturally be kept."

He also stressed, "If breaking the party’s public promise of no nomination, which is also a personal promise, becomes unavoidable, then it must be broken. However, corresponding responsibility must be taken, and a profound public apology and party rule revision (including gathering party members' opinions) must precede it."

In conclusion, Lee argued, "If the Democratic Party allows the vested corrupt forces to gain an advantage by adhering to the principle of not nominating candidates for Seoul and Busan mayors, it will result in the regression of Seoul’s administration and the return of corrupt forces. Choosing the realistic option (nominating candidates through party rule revision) is better."

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