Lee Jae-myung: "I also overdid it trying to surpass Moon 5 years ago... The moment support drops" to check Lee Nak-yeon

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (left) and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon are greeting each other on the afternoon of the 8th at the TV Chosun studio in Jung-gu, Seoul, attending the 4th Democratic Party presidential primary debate jointly hosted by TV Chosun and Channel A. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung recently commented on the rising approval ratings of former leader Lee Nak-yeon, saying, "It seems that new supporters have recently joined that side," and added, "Former leader Lee Nak-yeon was once supported by 40% of the public."

On the afternoon of the 16th, during an online press conference, Governor Lee said, "He had an enormous approval rating, and although it has dropped significantly now, I think some of it is being restored," but also stated, "That is ultimately for the people to judge. Personally, I see the (approval ratings) as a temporary trend."

He referred to the early 2017 presidential primary when he competed against then-candidate Moon Jae-in, saying, "It's been almost five years, and I went through the same thing. One day, my approval rating was 2-3%, then suddenly rose to 18% (according to Gallup Korea), narrowing the gap with President Moon to just 3-4%," adding, "My heart started pounding suddenly."

He continued, "I thought, 'I have to try this once; maybe I can win,' and got overconfident, which led to a very bad situation."

Governor Lee recalled, "The drop in approval ratings was also very sudden. When people saw it, they thought, 'Lee Jae-myung seems to have other intentions,' 'He needs to be scolded; this won't do,' and at that moment, the ratings fell sharply."

He added, "The harder I tried not to let it fall, the more it dropped," and concluded, "I am not going to pay too much attention to the current approval ratings. Even if I do, it won't lead to anything good."

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