Lee Jae-myung "Opposes Postponement of Democratic Party Presidential Primary... Politics Requires Trust and Principles"

Lee Gyumin, Democratic Party Lawmaker, "Worried That Primary Election Postponement Controversy May Cause Public Neglect"

A post opposing the postponement of the primary election by Lee Gyu-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on Facebook

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, recently made clear his opposition to the proposal to postpone the presidential primary election that has emerged within some factions of the Democratic Party of Korea, stating that "trust is important in politics."

On the 10th, after attending a meeting between Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and governors from across the country at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Lee responded to reporters' questions by saying, "I have already expressed my position that the primary should not be postponed, so please refer to that," emphasizing, "Trust in politics is important, and it comes from keeping principles and promises."

When asked whether there had been any internal discussions about postponing the primary, he added, "There was no discussion about postponing the primary."

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Kyu-min (Anseong) also clearly opposed the postponement of the primary through a Facebook post on the same day.

Lawmaker Lee pointed out, "The Democratic Party's crushing defeat in the recent (April) by-election was due to failures in real estate policy, a hypocritical attitude, and failure to gain support from the younger generation, but the most fundamental reason was abandoning the principle of taking responsibility for actions," adding, "The party's own rules, which stated that candidates would not be nominated if they were at fault, were violated and denied by the Democratic Party itself."

However, he criticized, "Now there are calls to postpone the presidential primary by further undermining principles, which I absolutely cannot agree with," calling it "repeating a foolish mistake."

Furthermore, he stated, "I also disagree with the argument that the primary should be postponed due to concerns about the need for harsh scrutiny if the candidate is selected earlier than the opposition," clarifying his opposition to postponing the primary by saying, "It is natural for presidential candidates to undergo rigorous scrutiny, and that is a duty to the people."

In particular, he added, "If, as some within the Democratic Party fear, nominating a candidate just three or four months earlier will lead to defeat in the presidential election, then selecting a candidate three or four months later would also inevitably result in defeat," expressing concern that "the controversy over postponing the primary might cause the public to turn away from the Democratic Party again."

He continued, "It is important for the ruling party to nominate a candidate according to principles, unite firmly around that candidate without wavering, and demonstrate to the public how unresolved issues such as real estate will be addressed within that framework," urging, "Calls to postpone the primary must stop."

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