Eight+α Leading Presidential Candidates Emerging

Big 3 Lee Jae-myung, Lee Nak-yeon, and Chung Sye-kyun
Yang Seung-jo joins the race after Park Yong-jin
'Roh Moo-hyun's man' Lee Kwang-jae also enters
Kim Du-kwan and Chu Mi-ae are also in pursuit

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] With the number of Democratic Party presidential candidates settling around eight, the race has officially taken shape. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun currently lead the "Big 3" lineup of potential contenders.

Other candidates continue to enter the race. Following Rep. Park Yong-jin, who was the first in the ruling party to declare his candidacy, Chungnam Province Governor Yang Seung-jo also announced his run on the 12th. Rep. Lee Kwang-jae, known as "Roh Moo-hyun's man," is also joining. Lee, along with former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, is considered a close aide to the late President Roh Moo-hyun and is referred to as "Left Hee-jung, Right Kwang-jae" among pro-Roh loyalists. At the memorial service marking the 12th anniversary of President Roh's passing the day before, he stated, "I intend to run for the unification of the Republic of Korea," and announced he would declare his candidacy on the 27th.

Lee Kwang-jae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Rep. Kim Du-kwan and former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae are also in pursuit. Rep. Kim plans to declare his candidacy next month with platforms including a basic asset system and a volunteer military system. Former Minister Choo, known for her straightforward approach, is preparing to publish a collection of interviews next month. Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon is in deep consideration, and Rep. Lim Jong-seok is also being mentioned as a potential candidate.

Alliances and coalitions among candidates aiming to break Governor Lee’s dominant position are also expected. Among Democratic Party presidential hopefuls, a power struggle is underway over the party’s proposed postponement of the primary election. Governor Lee’s camp insists on holding the primary as originally scheduled. However, the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, which proposed the postponement, has been joined by Rep. Park, Rep. Lee, and other candidates. The Democratic Party will begin candidate registration in June. If there are more than seven preliminary candidates, a preliminary primary (cutoff) will be held around July, involving 50% general public and 50% party member polling to narrow the field down to six candidates.

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