Ruling Party Presidential Candidate 'In the Fog'... Depends on Unification and Runoff Vote

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] As the Democratic Party primary race shows signs of shifting from a single frontrunner to a two-strong contender system, attention is now focused on whether the candidates will unify and how votes will swing in the runoff election. Except for the campaign of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who is currently leading, the other candidates appear to be reconsidering their strategies under the assumption that Lee will not secure a majority.

For now, the camp of former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, whose approval ratings are rapidly rising, is encouraged. Camp chief lawmaker Seol Hoon said in a phone interview on the 14th, "We are open to alliances with other candidates in the future, and ultimately, it will be realized." He also predicted, "Since Lee will never surpass the majority, even without unification, in the runoff (Lee Jae-myung vs. Lee Nak-yeon), other candidates will support former leader Lee."

Of course, in the six-person competition, Lee Jae-myung remains the overwhelming frontrunner. In a poll conducted by Asia Economy through WinG Korea Consulting on the 10th and 11th, Lee led with 25.8%, 9.4 percentage points ahead of former leader Lee Nak-yeon at 16.4%. However, in a hypothetical one-on-one match-up against former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, former leader Lee showed higher competitiveness than Lee Jae-myung. Supporters of former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae (4.7%), former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun (3.0%), and Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin (1.3%) appear to prefer former leader Lee over Lee Jae-myung as their second choice, which is interpreted as evidence of this trend.

According to Democratic Party regulations, the electorate consists of delegates, party members with voting rights, and general party members. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff to select the final presidential nominee. Given the current situation, it is highly likely that the race will go to a runoff before the final candidate is decided.

In light of this situation, former leader Lee is making efforts to broaden his support within the party, including visiting Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon, who was eliminated in the preliminary round. He continues to emphasize his ties with former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. These moves appear to be preparations for the runoff. Meanwhile, Lee Jae-myung, who has long been seen as the dominant candidate, has been the focus of intense attacks from other candidates.

During the preliminary round, former Minister Choo Mi-ae showed a somewhat friendly stance, leading to talk of a "Myung-Choo alliance," but Choo dismissed this as a misunderstanding, stating, "I want to compete on reform in the main election." Lee Jae-myung recently expressed frustration, saying he is "fighting a boxing match with his hands tied," emphasizing his status as a main contender. However, as the race shows signs of change, he is shifting to a more proactive stance in response.

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