[Summary] Lee Jae-myung Urged to Resign as Governor by Lee Sang-min, Receiving a Flood of Criticism Texts from Hardline Supporters

Sangmin Lee, Democratic Party Election Committee Chair, "Jaemyung Lee's Heart is in the Kongbat"
"I Wish He Had Resigned as Governor for Appropriateness"
Faces Continuous Criticism from Supporters After Remarks

Sangmin Lee, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Lee Sang-min, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been facing fierce criticism from supporters after urging Lee Jae-myung, the party's leading presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, to resign from his gubernatorial post. Some supporters are reportedly not hesitating to launch personal attacks against Chairman Lee.

In a radio interview on the 5th, Chairman Lee said, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung still holds the governor position, but isn't his mind already elsewhere?" and added, "From the perspective of appropriateness, I hope he resigns from the governor position."

However, Lee Jae-myung’s supporters strongly opposed Chairman Lee’s remarks. Some supporters reportedly targeted him by sending a barrage of text messages to his mobile phone and social media accounts.

On the 8th, numerous critical messages from Lee Jae-myung’s supporters were also posted on Chairman Lee’s Facebook page.

Comments from supporters of Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, posted on Chairman Lee's Facebook account / Photo by Facebook capture

The supporters criticized, saying things like, "How can the Democratic Party’s election committee chairman be so biased?" and "How dare he speak carelessly?" There were also derogatory remarks about Lee Sang-min’s disability, such as "I’ll take you on a wheelchair ride to hell" and "For a disabled person to say that."

In response, Jin Joong-kwon, a former professor at Dongyang University who appeared as a panelist on a broadcast with Chairman Lee, shared a related news article link on Facebook and pointed out, "This surpasses 'Ddakgae-moon' (a derogatory term for hardline pro-Moon Jae-in supporters) and is 'Ddakgae-myung' (hardline Lee Jae-myung supporters)."

Amid this situation, Lee Jae-myung stated, "If I have to choose between completing the primary and maintaining the governor position, I will defend the governor position."

On the 6th, after receiving his second COVID-19 vaccine dose, Lee met with reporters and said, "The governor position is a responsibility entrusted to me by 13.8 million residents, so I must do my best," adding, "It doesn’t make sense to resign just because it might be politically disadvantageous or to campaign more actively."

Democratic Party presidential primary candidate Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province (center), declared a halt to negative campaigning on the morning of the 8th at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the ruling party continues to experience aftershocks over Lee’s stance on 'defending the governor position.'

On the 8th, Shin Kyung-min, Standing Vice Chairman of former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon’s presidential campaign, claimed at a regular briefing that Lee Jae-myung is "using the governor position to block requests for materials related to allegations of running the campaign from the provincial office," and argued, "The campaign and the provincial office should not be used as a fortress."

He further warned, "Abuse of the governor’s authority could lead to violations of election laws during the general election, which could cause trouble," and "If mishandled, the entire party might have to take responsibility."

On the other hand, former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae defended Lee Jae-myung in a Facebook post on the same day, saying, "Regardless of validity, if resignation from the current post was necessary, it should have been decided before candidate registration," and added, "There is no emergency situation, so it is extremely unfair for such an unprecedented issue to be raised so abruptly."

She also criticized other presidential candidates, saying, "If you think Candidate Lee Jae-myung’s governor position helps with campaigning, then incumbent lawmakers who are candidates should also leverage their current positions," and "If you have legislative promises, push for legislation right now as lawmakers."

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