Professor Lee Sang-don, Mentor of Lee Jae-myung, Says "Governor Lee Differs from President Moon... Will Receive Significant Support from 2030 Generation"

Isangdon, Professor Emeritus at Chung-Ang University

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Professor Emeritus Lee Sang-don of Chung-Ang University predicted that if his former student, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, becomes the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, he is likely to gain considerable support from the 2030 youth demographic who were disappointed with President Moon Jae-in.

He also evaluated that Governor Lee Jae-myung has a strong appeal regarding the 'brand' of fairness that only he possesses. Furthermore, compared to former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Governor Lee seems to provide more inspiration and dynamism, he analyzed.

In a recent interview with a media outlet, Professor Lee recalled about Governor Lee Jae-myung, "He was a student I taught when I was a junior professor at Chung-Ang University Law School," and "He was actually scouted by Chung-Ang University and attended school on a scholarship."

When asked whether Governor Lee could capture the votes of the 2030 generation who have turned away, he criticized, "In my view, the current Moon Jae-in administration, while claiming to be a job-creating government, gave the 2030 generation too many false hopes. President Moon said he would be a 'job president,' set up some kind of job committee in the Blue House, created situation boards, but now all those talks have disappeared."

He added, "Governor Lee Jae-myung is not only a leading presidential candidate within the Democratic Party but also has a very different image from President Moon. The 2030 generation disappointed with President Moon might support Governor Lee if he becomes the candidate, which could be another issue. I believe the brand that Governor Lee holds has considerable appeal in that regard," he analyzed.

Especially, he noted, "In a situation where the People Power Party's approval rating surpasses that of the Democratic Party, it is inevitably disadvantageous for Governor Lee. If he becomes the candidate, he must be different from before becoming the candidate, and after becoming the candidate, he must build his own brand. That depends on what Governor Lee does going forward," he advised.

Regarding Governor Lee Jae-myung's values, the professor said, "There are many, but fairness is a hot topic these days. However, people do not start from the same starting line at birth. Efforts to compensate are necessary to reduce those differences." He evaluated, "From this perspective, Governor Lee has overcome such barriers through his own efforts, so there are expectations for that."

He further added, "I believe those aspects of Governor Lee (fairness) are his competitiveness and brand."

On rivals to Governor Lee within the ruling party, he forecasted, "In terms of career and background, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, both excellent figures, are struggling. The possibility of a third figure rising rapidly aside from former Prime Minister Chung and former party leader Lee also seems very low."

Finally, regarding an episode related to Governor Lee Jae-myung, he said, "Governor Lee was not the typical student activist one might imagine; he studied very hard, was highly respected by juniors, and had a certain charisma, so to speak. Among his juniors, some were involved in student activism and, having difficulty finding jobs, had little to do. Governor Lee brought them to his law office, employed them, and created jobs. I believe that became a significant asset," he shared.

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