Lee Jae-myung "Running for President, Raising Hands Has Negative Impact... But Preparing"

On the 14th, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the dormitory of Gyeonggi University. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Nah Han-ah] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated on the 2022 presidential election candidacy, "I am preparing for it."

In an interview with Yonhap News on the 27th, Governor Lee said, "People learn a lot through failure, but based on my experience in the 2017 presidential primary, stepping forward and raising my hand to do something often has a worse negative impact in reality," adding, "Rather than saying I am preparing, I am making preparations. Not even preparing could be irresponsible."

He continued, "The answer still lies in leaving the judgment to the sovereign people. What the residents expect from me is not just 'doing well,' right?" and added, "Above all, focusing on provincial administration and producing even a little more administrative achievements is the way to be evaluated by the people."

When asked if he would complete the remainder of his term, Governor Lee replied, "I do not know. The political world is fluid, and politicians are not leaders but employed workers waiting for the orders of the sovereign."

Regarding approval ratings, he said, "Trying to raise approval ratings is more likely to have a negative effect," and added, "If I do my work better and fulfill the roles entrusted to me, raising expectations that I am doing well, the ratings will go up."

He commented on the political sphere, saying, "For the representative democracy system to function properly and move in a direction that benefits the people, checks and balances are important," and pointed out, "If balance is broken and checks do not work, arrogance arises, unilateral rule occurs, and ultimately national interests and the people's welfare are damaged."

He went on, "With the current method of obstructing or seeking reflexive gains by exploiting the opponent's mistakes, the opposition party cannot develop and it does not help national progress," emphasizing, "For the check function to work properly, the opposition party must play a rational role."

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